Gianni Infantino emphasised football's strong Olympic tradition and spoke about how football and sports can build bridges as he welcomed members of the Olympic movement to the FIFA House in Paris, France. For her part, the Vice President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Nicole Hoevertsz, thanked FIFA for concluding the Olympic Football Tournaments with the final of the women's competition for the first time. France play Spain in the final of the men's tournament at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on Friday, while the women's final will pit the USA against Brazil at the same venue one day later. In his address to the event, attended by members of the IOC and the National Olympic Committees (NOCs), the FIFA President thanked the IOC and the city of Paris for "the celebration of unity, of inclusion, of people coming together from really the entire globe in our divided world".

He then spoke of the importance of the Olympic Games for football. “What is actually amazing is that football was part of the Olympic games – even before FIFA was founded - from the very beginning and just [on] two occasions, football did not participate in the Olympic games. We are, obviously, as well a proud member of the Olympic family, and your presence today is really filling our heart with warmth and joy at FIFA," he said. Mr Infantino emphasised that FIFA's mission was to grow the game globally and give young people in every corner of the world a chance for their talent to develop. "Every girl, every boy, in every corner of the world, needs to have the opportunity to dream, and we have to give them the chance, a little chance, even, everywhere in the world, in Oceania, in Asia, in Africa, in Europe, and South and North America, a chance that their dream can come true," he said. The FIFA President also talked about how sport can bring people together. "The beauty of what we do, and what we can do through football and sport, is to put our differences aside, to build bridges, to come together with understanding and respect, understanding that we are all different, but we have something in common," he said. "And this - what we have in common - is our emotions, our values, our heart, and that is what football and sport does to bring us all together.”

FIFA's efforts to grow women's football were praised by Mrs Hoevertsz. “I am very happy, President Infantino, that for a change, the women are going to be the last game. And I think that is absolutely something,” she said. “It is the result of a policy - a very conscious policy by FIFA. I know this because I am from an NOC and I see how our national federation (in Aruba) is always working to get promotion for the women because the future is feminine.

"We know that we need more women in all these leadership positions. We need more women athletes, we need more women coaches, we need more women referees and you're doing an absolutely amazing job." Arsène Wenger, the FIFA Chief of Global Football Development, said that watching the Olympic Games was an inspiration, both for himself and FIFA. “I think when you see how much contentment, how much happiness it can bring, how much this event can unite people from all over the world, it should – you and myself and, of course, FIFA with the President – reinforce our determination to do more for sport in the future,” he said. “This is something that should strengthen us in our desire to do that. So, I'm sure you will. On our side, I'm sure we will try as well.”