2008年，北京奥运会召开之际，萨马兰奇老先生写了一封信给全球的青年人。在信中，他说非常期待中国举行的第一次奥运会。而今萨翁辞世，让我们重温萨翁语重心长的这封信。
A universal meeting of young people from throughout the world
We all look forward to the first Olympic Games in China nextAugust. We all look forward to sharing the unique celebration that Chinaand Beijing will stage for "One World, One Dream"。
I should like to pay tribute to the new initiative of CivilizationMagazine in publishing, not only in English and French, but also for thefirst time in Chinese, the manuscript of the "Olympic Manifesto" byPierre de Coubertin, thus reminding us what the Olympic Games are allabout and disseminating the Olympic ideals and values of friendship,peace and universality among the Chinese people and the people from allover the world。
The following pages will undoubtedly help us to know and understandeven better how the visions and ideas of the young Frenchman Pierre deCoubertin still remain relevant today. This book is a tribute to the manwho, on the evening of 25 November 1892, launched his idea of revivingthe Olympic Games, which the Greeks had instituted in 776 B.C. and endedin 392 A.D。
On 23 June 1894, in the great amphitheatre of the Sorbonne inParis, Pierre de Coubertin succeeded in meeting a global challenge bygaining the approval of the participants in the International Congressfor the revival of the Olympic Games and the creation of theInternational Olympic Committee as well as the organisation of the firstGames in 1896 in Athens, Greece, the birthplace of Olympism。
I would like once again to congratulate Civilization Magazine forthis commendable project and an authentic document of great value, thusillustrating the essence of the Olympic Games: a universal meeting ofyoung people from throughout the world, with the same goal and the sameenthusiasm。
As Coubertin said: "humanity must draw from the heritage of thepast all the strengths that can be used to build the future. Olympism isone of those."
By Juan Antonio Samaranch
The International Olympic Committee Honorary President
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