National Conference on Physical Fitness and Sports for All Remarks at the Opening Session of the Conference.

Coach McGuire, Governor Apodaca, Secretary Hufstedler, President Kane, Surgeon General Richmond, Dr. Lamb, Casey Conrad, members of the Council on Physical Fitness, and friends:

I appreciated the—well, I think I appreciated the introduction. [Laughter] As a matter of fact, I do much better running uphill than is generally known. I was trying, in this upcoming competitive Olympic year, to give Bill Rodgers and Frank Shorter a little more confidence— [laughter] —that they wouldn't have any opposition from the White House or competition in the Olympics.

This is a time of determination, a time of sober assessment, a time of excitement, a time of challenge. I changed my prepared remarks at the last minute, because I wanted to say a few things that I think are important to the American people and particularly to you. I'd like to begin by paying a special tribute to a group that deserves the praise and support of all Americans, the United States Olympic Committee. Recently, I declared on behalf of the American people that unless the Soviet forces are withdrawn from Afghanistan, that the 1980 Olympic games should be moved from Moscow, canceled, or postponed. Both Houses of the Congress, I think speaking accurately for the American people, have concurred strongly in that judgment. And last weekend, the United States Olympic Committee voted, I believe unanimously, to support the strong national sentiment on this issue. It was not an easy decision for me, nor for the Congress, nor for the U.S. Olympic Committee. Their decision was difficult, and it was a courageous action which deserves our praise and our support.

The committee stood up for freedom. It stood up for the right that is fundamental to all people and to all nations-the right to live in peace. I know the strong commitment of the entire United States and of the Olympic Committee to the interests of America's athletes and to the interests of America served by our superb athletes. I recognize their strong commitment to the value of international competition and to the ideal of the Olympic games themselves. I share those ideals and goals, and I'm determined that everything I do will help to perpetuate the holding of the Olympic games and the honoring of the athletes and the ideals associated with the games.

This morning I would like to reaffirm my own personal commitment to the principles and purposes of the Olympic movement: to help to build a better and a more peaceful world, to create international good will, to promote the development of those moral qualities which are the bases of sports. Last weekend the U.S. Olympic Committee voted to protect these noble ideals from desecration. It reaffirmed the principles that the Olympics should not become some meaningless or even hypocritical spectacle, but athletic competition as a genuine expression of international friendship and peace.

Some have said, many have said, that we should not allow politics to interfere with Olympic competition. I agree completely. But the issue now before our country and the world is not a question of politics by any reasonable definition of that word. We are not talking here about who should lead a nation. We are not talking about the internal governmental organization of a nation. We are not talking about the internal policies which a nation should follow within its own boundaries, or even what kind of political or economic system a nation might choose for itself. We are not even talking about whether a government, such as that of the Soviet Union, is repressive or not, or even—and this is difficult to say-whether it denies its people fundamental human rights, as we define them.

It is not politics when one nation sends 100,000 of its heavily armed troops across a border and subjugates its peace-loving, deeply religious neighbor. It is not politics when one nation invades this nation's capital, installs a puppet regime, and participates in the assassination or death of the leaders which it does not like, including the families of those leaders. It's not politics when an army of invaders sweeps the countryside, as is presently taking place, killing those who dare to stand in its way. It's aggression, pure and simple.

And I'm determined that the United States will make clear to the Soviet Union, just as other countries are doing, that no country can trample the life and liberty of another and expect to conduct business or sports as usual with the rest of the world. We must send that message clearly to the Soviet Government and to its leaders, and let the people of the Soviet Union understand this basic principle involved.

It's indeed unfortunate that this horrible event has taken place. My hope and my belief is that the world will learn a lesson. And in a strange, unpredictable fashion, the adherence to athletic principles and the principles of the Olympic games might serve as a lever, now and in the future, to help to preserve peace and to prevent unwarranted aggression and the stamping upon the lives and the human rights of innocent people.

All Americans look upon our Olympians as representing our Nation's highest ideals. I want them all to know, and I want athletes from all around the world to know that I'm determined personally that they will have an opportunity to participate this year in international games of the highest quality, but, unless invading forces in Afghanistan are withdrawn, in a location other than the Soviet Union. I also want to make it clear that I welcome athletes from all over the world who are now coming to Lake Placid; including those from the Soviet Union, to participate in the winter Olympic games.

This morning, after this very sober and carefully worded analysis, I want to say a few words about an equally important but, thank goodness, less controversial subject, and that is our commitment to encourage greater physical fitness and greater participation in sports by all Americans. As many of you know, and as Coach McGuire mentioned, I maintain, myself, a strenuous exercise program of my own. I've done this all my life. It's part of my own existence and part of the enjoyment of that existence. I've done this to an even greater degree during the last few months, when I've had additional problems and burdens and responsibilities on my shoulders above those normally borne by an American President.

Along with tennis and softball and swimming and bowling and hiking and cross-country skiing, I do jog regularly, almost every day, along with my wife. Like a lot of runners, as Coach McGuire has pointed out, I have good days and I have bad days. [Laughter] And it's not always possible to predict which days might be good and which days might be bad. It's a lot like politics in that respect. [Laughter] But I can say with the utmost truthfulness that very often my running, either within the White House grounds or out alongside the canal on the towpath, is the high point of my day, and I admit that that might say less about the joys of running than it does about the absence of joy in political duties. [Laughter]

But I consider organized physical fitness and the programs associated with them to be the best possible investment in American health. Everything we do to make Americans more physically fit pays off handsomely. As Dr. Richmond well knows and as every person in our country well knows, it cuts medical bills, it helps our people to live longer, and it adds to the quality of each day of life we live.

A lot of people are finding this out now for themselves who didn't before. Over the past 15 years the number of people who are exercising regularly has doubled. At the same time, our national life expectancy has increased. We've seen a 1-percent-per-year drop in the incidence of fatal heart disease. That says something about the success of the Council on Physical Fitness these past two decades. But we still have a long way to go. Despite the increased popularity of exercise, still half of all adult Americans still exercise little, if at all. And others don't exercise regularly enough or vigorously enough to keep fit. Many more, as you well know, eat too much or eat the wrong kinds of food. Too many young people still take up cigarette smoking, which is a lot harder to quit than it is to start.

As a matter of fact, our big challenge and our biggest opportunity lies with America's children. In spite of the growing interest in soccer, for instance, a relatively new sport for most of us and one which is sweeping the grammar schools and high schools of our country and adding a new dimension to a highly competitive and very fine and enjoyable sport, we have to face the hard fact that scores on the national youth fitness test have not improved at all in 15 years. Obviously most American children are not getting as involved as they should in physical fitness. It's vital that we encourage all our children, as athletes, as Presidents, as coaches, as teachers, as news media representatives, as parents, to participate in sports and athletics, particularly those who are not gifted athletes, to start early and to develop good physical fitness habits.

Today I'm directing Governor Apodaca and the President's Council on Physical Fitness to do several things that might enhance the results that we've already achieved with this great program to take a number of steps to upgrade our Nation's physical fitness program: first of all, to work with the States, with individual Governors, to establish a Governor's council on physical fitness and sports in all of the 50 States; secondly, to work with schools to establish daily physical education at all grade levels, to remind those who administer the school programs about the advantages of this program-this should include opportunities for those with physical handicaps; to urge all employers, through personal messages from me, Governor Apodaca, and hopefully all of you, to make facilities available for employee fitness programs, to encourage all Federal departments and agencies to support physical fitness programs, and that would include our military services as well.

Not too long ago I was in Mexico City on an official visit with the President of Mexico, and we were using, as a running program every morning before daybreak, a military base where the Mexican equestrian team trains. And I ran with the generals and others there, each morning, for 5 miles. And they told me that every Mexican soldier runs, with full combat equipment, 10 kilometers every day. I presumed that was an accurate report, and when I asked the President of Mexico, he confirmed it. We don't have nearly that standard of physical demand on the Armed Forces of our country, and I'll talk to Harold Brown and others about increasing that effort.

Governor Apodaca knows that I'm very eager to give him all the backing he needs in carrying out these steps and particularly in the Federal Government.

I'd like to close my comments with a special word to those Americans who have devoted their lives as amateur athletes and as professional athletes and coaches to the pursuit of physical fitness and athletic excellence. You all have made great sacrifices. Your families, coaches have made sacrifices as well. You've been an inspiration, though, to all Americans, not just to those who try to imitate your great achievements but to all Americans who value the Olympic ideals of peace and brotherhood, who value true determination, and who value human commitment and human courage. Speaking on behalf of America, I thank you from the bottom of my heart, all of you.

Thank you very much.