With great pleasure, as President of the European Speed Skating Committee, it is an honour to give a warm welcome to Delegations participating at the 2009 European Senior Speed Skating Championships on track and on the road in Ostende ( Belgium).
My special thanks go to the Fédération Belge de Roller Skating and to all the people of Ostende for the good work carried out with the organisation of this important event, a great show of their initiative and passion for our sport.
To all participating skaters, enabling the growth of our sport with their steady determination, I will ask to compete with that spirit of engagement and fair play they all know so well.
‘As concerns sport, one of the most important goals is to promote a “Sports Culture”, promoting its practice and especially its values: solidarity, healthy competitions and fair play.’
With all this said, it only remains to instate that this important event falls within the principle that the Olympic Movement tries to make universal, so these European Championships become a vehicle for more union and friendship among countries.
MR. UMBERTO URBINATI
PRESIDENT EUROPEAN SPEED SKATING COMMITTEE
