ATHENS — Seven thousand miles, 30 months and one successful campaign for governor from when he was president of the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics, Mitt Romney accepted the Olympic Truce Ideal Award at a ceremony aboard the Queen Mary 2 in Pireas Harbor Sunday afternoon.
If you have not heard of the award, it's probably because Romney is its first recipient.
But the honor — meant to recognize those who foster the spirit of Olympic truces — will now be presented at every Olympics, summer and winter, said Hugh Timothy Dugan, the founder of the Truce Foundation of the USA.
After presenting Romney with the inaugural award and praising him for "surmounting conflicts and realizing goals and ideals" in his work in Salt Lake, Dugan, a New Yorker, announced that henceforth it will be called the "Mitt Romney Truce Ideal Award."
Dugan and a number of other idealists, both inside and outside the official Olympic movement, are proponents of using the Olympic spirit as a crusade for peace. It was through their efforts that a resolution was unanimously passed at the United Nations in November of 2003 supporting the promotion of an Olympic truce. Dugan's foundation is supported by private donations.
Romney, the governor of Massachusetts since winning the office almost two years ago, was at the invitation-only party with his wife, Ann, after watching an Olympic equestrian competition earlier in the day. The reception and presentation ceremony was held on the ninth deck of the 2,700-passenger luxury liner that is docked at Athens and serving as a floating hotel during the Games. Among the Queen Mary 2's guests are members of the men's and women's U.S. basketball teams.
Romney characteristically downplayed his personal qualifications for an award dealing with the Salt Lake Games. "I have learned through sad experience that the person in front gets too much credit," he said. "The credit really goes to three extraordinary groups of people who made the (Salt Lake) Olympics — the athletes, the volunteers and a great management team. They made it happen. Mostly my job is to come and accept the thank yous."
He came a long way for this one, but the nice plaque served as a good excuse, Romney said, so he and Ann could see the Olympics.
"We're now Olympic aficionados," he said. "I love the Olympics. I want to come to every one. In Torino in two years, my hope is that Ann and I and our five sons and five daughters-in-law can all go. I don't know if it will work out, but that's my hope."
Before taking over as head of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee in early 1999, Romney had never seen an Olympics other than on television. He hasn't missed one since.
Four years ago in Sydney, he was barely visible as he and other Salt Lake organizers scouted the Aussie Games. In Athens, by contrast, he has been a watched man. Some political rivals questioned in the Boston media whether he is spending too much time away from the state. Just two weeks ago, he flew to Utah for a short trip to sign copies of his new book, "Turnaround," that deals with his Salt Lake Olympic experience.
"The Democrats think I take too much time off," Romney said. "But I'm taking a weekend and a day here. I still get weekends off, so I'm taking one day off."
"The great thing about the Olympics," he said, "is everyone is pulling for you to succeed. In politics, it's not like that."
Lee Benson is in Athens to report on the 2004 Summer Games for Deseret Morning News readers. This is his ninth assignment to cover the Olympics. Please send e-mail to benson@desnews.com.