The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, was quick to don the "Team USA"jacket in Washington yesterday when he met US Special Olympics athletes who will be travelling to Ireland in June for the Summer Games.
Twenty of the 749 US athletes gathered in a Washington sports club to welcome Mr Ahern, or "Mr Bertie O Harne", as he was charmingly described by one of those set to travel.
Mr Ahern was ever willing to praise the virtues of his latest pride and joy, the newly-opened National Aquatic Centre - the first stage of what should have been the Abbotstown dream.
"The pool was only opened up this week. It is based on the Sydney Olympic pool and is considered to be one of the three best pools in Europe," he said proudly.
Greeting Mr Ahern shortly before he left Washington to return to Dublin, one of the athletes, Ms Carla Ship, told him: "We are very excited and just can't wait to come to Ireland. We have been training hard every day." One asked Mr Ahern how long he had lived in Ireland. "Do you mean how old I am? I'm 51, though it feels longer sometimes," Mr Ahern joked.
The chief executive of the Special Olympics, Mr Tim Shriver, a nephew of the late US President, John F. Kennedy, said the organisation was "really looking forward" to the first Summer Games to be held outside the US.
Paying tribute to the Taoiseach, Mr Shriver said Mr Ahern had been determined "to make this a world-class event".
"Thank you so much for the enormous amount of work that you have done."
