[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book II)]
[August 8, 2008]
[Pages 1128-1129]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks to the 2008 United States Summer Olympic Team in Beijing
August 8, 2008

    Congratulations for representing the finest nation on the face of 
the Earth. The honorary captain and I are 
proud to be with you. We're here to wish you all the very best.
    First, I want to say thanks to the U.S. Olympic Committee, chaired 
by Peter Ueberroth, CEO Jim 
Scherr, Judge Charles Lee. I wasn't exactly sure what to say to you, except to start 
with, God, I love our country, and I love what we stand for, and I love 
being with you.
    Laura and I and a lot of our family are here 
to cheer you on. We're just a handful of a lot of folks who care about 
you a lot. There are going to be a lot of people pulling for you. We 
want you to win as many golds as you possibly can.
    We appreciate all the hard work you've put in to get to this spot. 
It's got to be really exciting, thinking about marching in that stadium 
and representing our country. So I guess all I've got to say is, go for 
it, give it all you've got, and may God bless you.

[[Page 1129]]

Note: The President spoke at 6:44 p.m. in the Fencing Hall. In his 
remarks, he referred to former President George H.W. Bush, honorary 
captain, and Charles Lee, chef de mission, 2008 U.S. summer Olympic 
team. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language 
transcript of these remarks.