Sport has a way of bringing together the most amazing people from across the globe, in all walks of life.

Not only the medal winners or the record setters, but those who participate and compete for their own reasons, who strive for their own goals and inspire everyone they come into contact with.

I recently returned from a trip to Prague, where I witnessed the 2007 Junior World Weightlifting Championships. From the athletes to the coaches and officials, the people I met and the stories they shared, I can honestly say had a profound impact on the way I view life.

There was Malek Chamoun, an 18-year-old Australian lifter who had had a visual impairment since the age of seven and is now almost completely blind. Chamoun not only finds ways to continue competing in the sport he loves, but it's sport that helps him through the difficult moments in life.

He says it gives him a sense of accomplishment and allows him to prove to the world that anything is possible. Up against powerhouse opponents from countries like China and Colombia, Chamoun may never win an Olympic medal, but he has created his own heroics, has set his own records and proudly represents his country.

There were also the dozens of stories from athletes who have risen above injury, poverty or less-than-ideal training conditions and stood on top of the podium, through sheer determination.

Even the mayor of Prague, Pavel Bem, offered his own spectacular tale. Here was a guy who not only spends the majority of his time managing a city of more than one million people, but had just returned from a successful climb of Mount Everest, the world's tallest peak.

Then there were those people who have survived situations and events most of us can only hope we never have to face.

Dr. Shimon Barak was part of Israel's weightlifting team at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. That's where 11 of his teammates were killed, as well as a German police officer, after a kidnapping plot by terrorists.

One can't even imagine the horror, but Barak is still standing strong and he still dedicates a lot of his time to weightlifting and sport, as a member of the International Weightlifting Federation's (IWF) Executive Board.

All of them were united by the power of sport, and as I listened to their stories, it really hit home that the impact a world championship can have goes far beyond finances.

When Whitehorse hosts the 2008 Junior World Weightlifting Championships, these are the people who will be visiting our city, and the athletes who will be inspiring spectators. No one can deny the fact an event which boasts from 300 to 800 athletes, coaches and officials is a dream for tourism. But when you add in the fact the participants come from as many as 80 nations, there's the potential for so much more.

This is a big deal for everybody.

Every single person I talked to was so excited for the 2008 championships, thrilled to be coming to Canada, the Yukon and Whitehorse. Most were planning to extend their stay beyond the competition and check out the sights around the territory.

For the Canadian weightlifters it's a chance to compete on home soil. Seven of the 11 who were in Prague, most of whom hailed from Montreal, will be eligible for the Whitehorse event and all of them want to be here.

Francis Luna-Grenier, who set three Canadian junior records while in Prague in the men's 69-kilogram category, will be too old to compete as a junior next year, but still plans to make the trip.

'I will be there as a volunteer definitely,' he stated in an interview. 'It's a bit hard for me, knowing I won't be able to lift. I wasn't in Vancouver (in 2003 for the senior worlds), so it will probably be 15 years before I can lift in my own country. That's a bit sad.'

Philippe Saint Cyr, Canada's member on the IWF executive board, said he knows Whitehorse will do a good job in 2008. While Prague had a lot of things right this time, he said, there is definitely room for improvement, particularly on some of the small things that get overlooked.

The transportation and the competition hall in Prague received passing grades, he continued, but the one glitch that bothered him was the fact not everybody was invited to the closing banquet. Each delegation received just three invitations, which meant hundreds of athletes were left out. Isn't it really about the athletes?

'We'll hopefully have a proper banquet (in Whitehorse),' he stated. 'You don't have to have all the frills, as long as you have basic things.'

There were also some problems with people getting picked up at the airport upon arrival in Prague, and there were no signs or greetings of any sort when you stepped off the plane. That's something Moira Lassen, the Secretary General for the Canadian Weightlifting Federation and also an official for the IWF, knows won't be an issue in her hometown.

'They'll probably have people wishing them luck and talking about it when they get on the plane in Vancouver.'

Yes, it's that great traditional northern hospitality, as well as hardworking volunteers and a competition facility like the Canada Games Centre, which has me also convinced the 2008 championships will be a success.

On the way home from Prague, myself and Moira Lassen made a stop in Rome for a few days of vacation.

There, we were special guests of the Italian Weightlifting Federation and were able to stay at Italy's Olympic training centre, Coni.

It was an amazing place. With outdoor rugby, baseball, hockey and soccer facilities, as well as a state-of-the-art swimming pool and several indoor training rooms, Coni also boasts the sport hotel.

Many of Italy's elite young athletes live and train at the centre, some for months at a time. The centre also hosts summer camps for children.

Yukon weightlifter Jeane Lassen trained and lived at Coni earlier this year.

Similar to other centres in countries like Australia and the United States, it's something many feel is long overdue in Canada, especially if Canadian officials are serious about getting on par with the European and Asian nations when it comes to Olympic medals.