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Peng Lina: Row, row, row your boat

My name is Peng Lina; I was born in Beijing in 1961. My life is tied with Beijing, with sports, with the sacred flame, with the Beijing Olympics.

From an early age, I was very interested in sports. In May 2008, I was a torchbearer in Nanjing. Recently, I was notified of my selection to work with BOCOG to organize aquatics events for the Games.

I was quite frail as a child, so I visited hospitals often. In order to limit these visits, my family encouraged me to participate in sports. During breaks from school, I could often be found playing with my friends, practicing gymnastics, athletics, swimming, volleyball, basketball…almost any sport you could imagine. Sure, I wasn't very talented, but with so much practice, my body grew stronger and stronger. I even grew taller than my parents! My love for sports blossomed.

When I began middle school, I found that aquatics didn't put too much pressure on my body, so I became a rower. When I was 16, I saw an article about aquatics; thinking that the tips in the article would help me hone my own skills, I cut it out for safekeeping. This is how my hobby began. For over thirty years, I have clipped and glued, clipped and glued. Among these documents that I have collected, a few of which I have written, you can trace the spirit of past rowers, and follow the history of Chinese aquatics events and athletes.

I've been an athlete, a coach, and am currently a vice-principal of a school. I've also been a judge of international aquatic competitions, and helped to organize 10 sports meets, including aquatic events of the 11th Asian Games.

Besides the Beijing Olympics opening and closing ceremonies, the awards ceremonies are the most watched occasions. With my efforts, I am determined to do the best I can to make the awards ceremonies for the Beijing Olympics aquatics events the best ever.

Everything I do, I put all of my heart into. I feel motivated by the Olympic spirit to be "faster, higher, stronger."

As the sacred flame traveled around the world, we continued to carry its enthusiasm and dreams with us. The Olympics, China, and Beijing, have captured the eyes of the world; peace, friendship, and progress, are words uttered in unison by the citizens of the world. The Olympics aren't just about the athletes; actually, they are more about ordinary citizens.

I will forever treasure my relationship with sports, the sacred flame, and the Olympics.