[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Pages 23855-23856]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 704--CONGRATULATING THE MEMBERS OF THE UNITED STATES 
   OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC TEAMS ON THEIR SUCCESS IN THE 2008 SUMMER 
 OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES AND SUPPORTING THE SELECTION OF CHICAGO, 
 ILLINOIS, AS THE SITE OF THE 2016 SUMMER OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES.

  Mr. REID (for himself, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. Murray, and Mr. Obama) 
submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 704

       Whereas the 2008 Summer Olympic Games were conducted in 
     Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008;
       Whereas 10,500 athletes from 204 countries participated in 
     302 events in 28 sports and inspired people around the world 
     with their dedication, discipline, athletic achievement, and 
     spirit of fair play, representing the best traditions of 
     Olympic competition;
       Whereas 596 men and women represented the United States in 
     the 2008 Summer Olympic Games as members of the United States 
     Olympic Team;
       Whereas those United States Olympians competed in 27 sports 
     and continued the great legacy of athleticism and 
     sportsmanship that has characterized the history of United 
     States Olympic competition;
       Whereas, in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, the United 
     States sustained and increased its clear dominance as the 
     most successful country in the history of the Olympic Games;
       Whereas athletes from the United States won more medals in 
     the 2008 Summer Olympic Games than athletes from any other 
     country;
       Whereas swimmer Michael Phelps of Maryland earned 
     recognition as one of the greatest athletes of all time by 
     winning an extraordinary 8 gold medals in the 2008 Summer 
     Olympic Games to surpass the previous single-year record of 7 
     Olympic gold medals

[[Page 23856]]

     by Mark Spitz, also a swimmer from the United States;
       Whereas Michael Phelps now also holds the record for the 
     most Olympic gold medals ever won by a single athlete, with a 
     remarkable 14 gold medals;
       Whereas, in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, the United 
     States demonstrated its continued preeminence in team sports, 
     with the men's and women's basketball teams, the men's 
     volleyball team, the women's soccer team, and the men's and 
     women's 4x400-meter relay teams winning gold medals;
       Whereas more than 200 athletes from the United States 
     competed in 18 sports on behalf of the United States in the 
     2008 Summer Paralympic Games in Beijing, China, from 
     September 6 to September 17, 2008;
       Whereas the United States Paralympic Team earned 99 medals, 
     including 36 gold medals, reminding the world that physical 
     challenges are no limit to human achievement;
       Whereas United States Army First Lieutenant Melissa 
     Stockwell, who lost her left leg to a roadside bomb in 
     Baghdad in 2004, became the first veteran of the war in Iraq 
     to compete in the Paralympic Games when she swam in the 
     women's 100-meter butterfly, 100-meter freestyle, and 400-
     meter freestyle;
       Whereas the people of the United States stand united in 
     respect and admiration for the members of the United States 
     Olympic and Paralympic Teams, and the Teams' athletic 
     accomplishments, sportsmanship, and dedication to excellence;
       Whereas the many accomplishments of the United States 
     Olympic and Paralympic Teams would not have been possible 
     without the hard work and dedication of many others, 
     including the United States Olympic Committee and the many 
     administrators, coaches, and family members who provided 
     critical support for the athletes:
       Whereas the Olympic movement celebrates competition, fair 
     play, and the pursuit of dreams;
       Whereas the United States and, in particular, the city of 
     Chicago, Illinois, celebrate those same ideals; and
       Whereas Chicago has never hosted the Olympic and Paralympic 
     Games: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) extends congratulations for a job well done to all 
     members of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Teams and 
     to everyone who supported the Teams' efforts at the 2008 
     Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games; and
       (2) encourages the International Olympic Committee to 
     choose Chicago, Illinois, as the site of the 2016 Summer 
     Olympic and Paralympic Games and offers support and 
     cooperation in ensuring successful Olympic and Paralympic 
     Games in Chicago in 2016.

                          ____________________