Speeches

Commentary

Sunday, July 10, 2005

The New York Times

Letter to the Editor

NYC2012 Delegates Are First in Effort

To the Sports Editor:

New Yorkers, and all Americans, should be aware of how strongly the delegation representing the NYC2012 Olympic bid performed over these past days and weeks in Singapore. We occasionally succumb to the instinct to throw brickbats at a team if it doesn't finish first.

Having worked with the New York team, I can tell you these people deserve nothing but our praise and admiration.

Our athletes were outgoing, upbeat and fun to be with. Our political leaders were direct and effective. Business and labor leadership all showed a can-do spirit. They were the best ambassadors in Singapore.

Victory was not ours, but in a different sense it was a still a victory for New York. The measure of a great city, like the measure of a great athlete, is not that it always wins the gold, but that it is always willing to compete and gives its best.

Franklin L. Lavin
Singapore
The writer is the United States ambassador to Singapore