Olympic games impact

International Olympic Committee: Twenty-five years on from her Olympic debut, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Kirsty Coventry recalled her Olympic journey that started with the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

"I was 16 years old when I walked onto the pool deck at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Wide-eyed, nervous and full of dreams. These were my first Olympic Games, and I had no idea what to expect," Coventry said in an IOC statement as Sydney marked the 25th anniversary of the opening of the 2000 Olympic Games, as quoted by Xinhua.

"I remember seeing Susie O'Neill warming up and whispering to my coach, 'That's Susie O'Neill!' He gently asked, 'What do you see?' I was too starstruck to answer. He said, 'I see another girl, another woman just like you.' That moment helped me realize: this was where I belonged."