http://www.gamedailyxl.com/2007/03/28/mario-and-sonic-buddy-up-for-new-game

"Mario and Sonic have been respectful rivals since the early days of video games," Senior Managing Director and General Manager at Nintendo Shigeru Miyamoto says. "In fact, for a long time they have been discussing the possibility of one day competing against each other. Now that they have been given the perfect opportunity to meet at the Olympic Games, we may finally learn who is actually faster, Mario or Sonic?"