[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 21 (Wednesday, March 2, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 2, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
               RECOGNITION OF NATIONAL SPORTSMANSHIP DAY

                                 ______


                        HON. RONALD K. MACHTLEY

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 2, 1994

  Mr. MACHTLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize March 1, 1994, 
as the fourth annual National Sportsmanship Day. As the 1994 Olympic 
games come to a close having showed us fair play and not so fair play, 
good sportsmanship and bad, it is only fitting that we pay tribute to 
the good, and the fair--our role models in athletics and society.
  National Sportsmanship Day was first conceive by Dan Doyle, executive 
director, of the Institute for International Sport located at the 
University of Rhode Island. The institute has played a major role in 
promoting athletics and most recently organized a highly successful 
World Scholar Athlete Games in Rhode Island last June. Today, we 
celebrate National Sportsmanship Day to foster the sense of fair play, 
ethics, and sportsmanship in athletics and society.
  Since 1991, National Sportsmanship Day has served as a way to educate 
children on fair play, both on the playing fields and in the classroom. 
Today, over 4,000 schools in the United States and 35 international 
schools are expected to participate. The program continues to grow, as 
evidenced by its spanning the globe for the first time this year. In 
the past 4 years, over 6,000 schools in all 50 States have worked with 
this program. Student athletes from colleges and high schools from all 
over the country travel to local elementary and middle schools to 
promote the issues of fair play and sportsmanship in athletics and in 
life.
  An integral part of National Sportsmanship Day is the naming of 
sports ethics fellows. I am pleased to announce that Rhode Island has 
two this year--Linda Hackett, athletic director of Bryant College in 
Smithfield, and Robert Weygrand, Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island.
  As we reflect on this year's winter Olympics and anxiously await the 
summer games, and as we each take part in our own personal athletic 
endeavors, we must hold close the ideals embodied in National 
Sportsmanship Day.
  I ask my colleagues to support National Sportsmanship Day. It is 
beneficial to the youth of today to understand how to succeed both 
fairly and honestly. I believe this program's continued success will 
help form a solid foundation for our children--our future Olympic 
heroes and lifelong athletes. I would like to thank the Institute for 
International Sport for its efforts and wish it the best of luck and 
continued success with this very worthwhile program.

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