(18 Sep 2000) English/Nat
XFA
A good luck letter from the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan was hand delivered to the East Timorese Olympic team in Sydney on Monday.
Mr Annan's representative presented the letter to boxer Victor Ramos in the Olympic Village.
Four athletes will be making history by representing the newly independent country in the Sydney Games.
The East Timorese Olympic team met Iqbal Riza, a representative of the UN Secretary general Kofi Annan in Sydney on Monday.
Mr Riza was in the Olympic Village to hand over a letter of congratulation and best wishes to boxer Victor Ramos who returned the gesture by presenting Riza with a pair of boxing gloves.
Just year ago Ramos was caught up in the violent struggle for independence in East Timor and is lucky to have got to Sydney at all.
SOUNDBITE: (Indonesian)
"We are proud and happy to be here in Australia and thankful for the big people who allowed us to come here and participate."
SUPERCAPTION: Victor Ramos, East Timorese boxer
The East Timorese athletes have few training facilities back home but have still managed to send four athletes to Sydney.
Former Olympic speed skating gold medallist Johan Koss is an IOC member involved with Olympic Aid, an organisation working in East Timor to help children in the country to get involved in sport.
Koss says the East Timorese presence in Sydney means a lot.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We want sport and the athletes to be in the middle of the Olympics. That is the key the element we want to grow out of . We want to be role models as those East Timor athletes. Four are participating and they are going to be fantastic for all East Timor's little boys and girls."
SUPERCAPTION: Johan Koss, former Olympic speed skating champion and current IOC member
SOGOC vice president Kevan Gosper was involved in bringing the East Timorese over to Australia and says their presence demonstrates the true spirit of the Olympics.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We hear so much about the big teams and about anti doping and about corporatism and so on. All of that is important but for me in my heart this is what its all about."
Kevan Gosper, Sydney Olympic Games Organising Committee vice president
Victor Ramos may have lost his opening bout in the Olympic boxing ring, but he will still go down in history as being one of the first athletes to represent the newly independent East Timor in the Olympic Games.
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