Twins Archives

09/02/2026

IOC President’s speech - Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony

Please find below the full speech delivered by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry during the Opening Ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games today, 6 February 2026.

Good evening, Italy!

Dear President of the Italian Republic, Your Excellency, Sergio Mattarella,

Dear President of the Milano Cortina 2026 Organising Committee, my dear colleague and friend, Giovanni Malagò,

Your Excellencies and distinguished guests,

Dear athletes,

To all of you and everyone who is watching: welcome to Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games!

My fellow Olympians,

Whether you are here in Milano, in Cortina, Predazzo or Livigno: welcome to your Games.

This is your moment.

I know what it feels like – that mix of excitement and nerves. Your whole life of hard work, of early mornings, long days, sacrifices, setbacks – it all comes down to this. I know that feeling, when you realise – this is it. You’ve made it.

So first, be proud. Be proud of how far you’ve come. And now, take it all in. Enjoy it. Enjoy every second.

Over the next two weeks, you’re going to give us something truly special.

You’ll show us what it means to be human. To dream. To overcome. To respect one another. To care for each other.

You’ll show us that strength isn’t just about winning – it’s about courage, empathy and heart.

You will not only make incredible memories. You will reach your Olympic dreams – and you will show the world how to live.

This is why we all love the Olympic Games. Because through you, we see the very best of ourselves. You remind us that we can be brave. That we can be kind. And that we can get back up, no matter how hard we fall.

And to everyone watching, here in Italy and around the world – thank you for joining this moment. Thank you for believing in the magic of the Olympic Games.

When we see an athlete stumble and find the strength to rise, we are reminded that we can do the same.

When we see rivals embrace at the end of a finish line, we are reminded that we can choose respect.

When we see grace, courage and friendship – we remember the kind of people we all want to be.

The spirit of the Olympic Games is about so much more than sport. It is about us – and what makes us human.

In Africa, where I’m from, we have a word: ubuntu. It means: I am because we are. That we can only rise by lifting others. That our strength comes from caring for each other.

No matter where you come from, we all know this spirit – it lives and breathes in every community.

I see this spirit most clearly at the Olympic Games. Were, athletes from every corner of our world compete fiercely – but also respect, support and inspire one another. They remind us that we are all connected, that our strength comes from how we treat each other, and that the best of humanity is found in courage, compassion and kindness.

So let these Games be a celebration of what unites us – of everything that makes us human.

This is the magic of the Olympic Games: inspiring us all to be the best that we can be – together.

Tonight, we are grateful to our gracious hosts, the Italian people, who set this spectacular Olympic stage with such passion and care.

To all the public authorities – and especially to the Italian government and its President – to the Organising Committee, and our Italian partners: your dedication, creativity and teamwork have brought us to the start line. And now together with our TOP Partners and Media Rights-Holders, we will spread the Olympic spirit around the world.

A very special shout-out to the wonderful volunteers! From the moment we arrived, you have made everyone feel so welcome. In the days ahead, your smiles and your energy will bring everything together – and bring the magic of the Games to life.

Thanks a million!

Since the Olympic flame was first lit, it has travelled across Italy – carried by thousands, celebrated by millions. Thank you to every torchbearer, and everyone who came out to cheer them on.

From north to south, east to west, the flame shines as a beacon of hope for all. Tonight, that flame will ignite the cauldron. Its light will shine for you, the athletes – and from you, it will spark inspiration across the world.

When I was an athlete, this was always my most favourite moment. Watching that flame light up in the night – that’s when I knew the Games were real. Now it’s your turn, my fellow Olympians. Now it’s your moment. It’s your Games.

We cannot wait to watch you, to cheer for you, to be inspired by you. To see your courage. Your strength. To see the best of humanity shine before the world.

Let your flame spark hope, let it ignite joy and light the way for all of us.

Grazie mille. Thank you.

And now, it is my great honour to hand over to the President of the Italian Republic, His Excellency Sergio Mattarella.

09/02/2026

There was a time I tried and it failed.

Not quietly.
Not privately.
It failed in front of witnesses.

After that, I became “careful.”
Careful how I hoped.
Careful how I spoke about tomorrow.
Careful not to look foolish again.

People respected the new me.
They called it maturity.

But deep inside, I knew the truth —
I wasn’t protecting wisdom.
I was protecting myself from feeling that pain again.

Then life asked me a question:
Did I save you from the last fall so you could be afraid of the next step?

That hit me.

I realized survival was not my assignment.
Living was.

Failure had given me information, yes —
but I had turned it into permission to stop.

So I decided:
my expectation will be bigger than my memory.

I will try again.
I will risk again.
I will show up again.

Not because I cannot fail,
but because fear will no longer be my leader.

And if I tremble,
I will tremble forward.

Onyeisi Chukwudumebi

09/02/2026

Here’s a narrative piece that blends poetry, story, testimony, and a call to action, centered on caution, expectation, and the fear of failure.

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You walk as though the ground remembers every step you ever missed.

Careful.
Measured.
Listening for the crack in the bridge that once betrayed you.

You call it wisdom now.

But if you are honest, sometimes it is simply fear dressed like experience.

You say, “I have seen what happens when hope runs too fast.”
You say, “I know how disappointment can wait at the finish line.”
So you bargain with life — smaller dreams, quieter prayers, safer attempts.

And everyone claps for how mature you have become.

Yet inside, a younger voice still lives.
Barefoot. Unashamed. Reckless with belief.

It whispers,
What if the fall did not come to end you,
but to teach your feet the language of balance?

You remember the days you tried and the doors refused.
The nights you invested tears and harvested silence.
The people who nodded at your vision but stepped back from your risk.

You survived it.
Yes, you did.

But somewhere in surviving, you began to confuse being alive
with being called.

Hear this testimony:

The same God who kept you through failure
did not mean for you to build a house inside it.

The lesson was a road sign, not a destination.

Your caution kept you breathing.
But your expectation will make you live.

Failure is loud, I know.
It replays itself like thunder in an open field.
It reminds you of the embarrassment, the loss, the long explanations.

But what if courage is simply moving forward
while the echo is still talking?

What if bravery is not the absence of fear,
but the decision that fear no longer gets a vote?

Look at you.

Still here.
Still carrying vision in a heart that has been bruised but not buried.

If defeat had the final word,
you would not be reading this with fire quietly rising again.

So stand.

Not recklessly —
but faithfully.

Take the wisdom,
leave the chains.

Attempt again.
Speak again.
Build again.
Love again.
Apply again.

Let expectation be greater than memory.

Because the future has never been created
by people who were only careful.

It is built by those who tremble
and still step forward.

Harbor Kenneth Onyeisi

05/02/2026

05/02/2026

I was interviewed by Sir Joe after my meeting with International Olympic Committee.

28/01/2026

27/01/2026

27/01/2026

International Council of Multiple Birth Organisations (ICOMBO)
Olympics
Cristiano Ronaldo
IOC Young Leaders
Mikel John Obi

From a Dream in 2020 to the IOC Roundtable: Proof That Distance Is Not Denial

In 2020, what I had was not access.
Not connections.
Not invitations.

What I had was a dream — fragile, uncertain, and far removed from the global stage.

That dream was born from questions about identity, culture, heritage, and purpose. It was shaped by history, by the legacy of Mary Slessor, by the stories of multiple births once misunderstood and persecuted, and by a personal search for meaning that later gave birth to Tamblympics.

Fast forward to today.

I sat — even if virtually — in an official roundtable meeting with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), discussing Olympic culture, values, heritage, and the Milano Cortina 2026 Cultural Olympiad. As I watched myself later in the video clips I recorded during the meeting, one truth became undeniable:

Dreams do move — even when the distance feels impossible.

The gap between where you are and where your dream belongs can feel intimidating. Sometimes it feels embarrassing to even speak your vision out loud. Sometimes it feels like the world is too big and you are too small.

But here is what this moment taught me:

Dreams don’t respond to noise — they respond to consistency

Institutions don’t respond to pressure — they respond to clarity and purpose

History doesn’t change overnight — it changes when someone refuses to let a story die

I didn’t speak during the meeting as I hoped. Nerves came. Technology failed me. But presence itself became progress. Being in the room — even silently — was a landmark.

This milestone is not the destination.
It is a signal.

A signal to anyone watching from afar, wondering if their dream is “too big,” “too late,” or “too far away”:

Distance is not denial. Silence is not rejection. Delay is not defeat.

If a vision born quietly in 2020 can find its way into an IOC roundtable, then your dream — whatever it is — is still valid.

Dare to dream.
Dare to persist.
Dare to show up — even trembling.

History always begins with someone who refused to stop believing.

Onyeisi Chukwudumebi