OLYMPIAD INDICTED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLV, Issue 10167, 23 July 1924, Page 5

OLYMPIAD INDICTED

NATIONAL ANIMOSITIES.

“TIMES’” STRONG ARTICLE.

DISGRACEFUL SCENES IN PARIS

(Per Press Association—Copyright.) ’ (Received This Day, 9.45 a.m.) LONDON, July 22. ' “No more Olympic Games” is th 5 heading under which “The Times” de f \ livers judgment upon the disgraeefu r ■ scenes in Paris. It says: 3 “The unhappy experience confirmei with dreadful clearness the long-fel > misgivings that the tendency of. thes< j games is to inflame rather than to al ; lay international animosities. The Olympiad has been weighed in the balance and.found not only wanting, bui positively dangerous. Both the actions of individual competitors and the spectators have given rise to disagreeable incidents of a definitely provocative and volcanic character. Even the judging has not been free from reproach.” It adds: “Disturbances of this kind, culminating in open expression of national hostility, might conceivably end in worse trouble. The peace of the world is too precious to justify any risk, however wild the idea may seem, of being sacrificed on the altar of international sport. The right spirit of such sport was rightly shown at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Despite the severity of the defeat, the Empire competitors and spectators took their beating in perfect good humour, while the Americans were entirely free from the arrogance- of success. But in the Olympic apparently this human camaraderie is not proof against loss of self-control, to which national partisanship may give rise in time. The article concludes by drawing attention to a correspondent’s view that nobody would feel justified. in again appealing for public support in sending another full British team to the Olympiad, adding: “It may be expected that the Americans will concur in 'this view., and that the death knell of the Olympiad has been sounded.”

[A previous message said: The Olympic boxing ended at midnight amid scenes of such disorder that the British Olympic Committee, after a meeting, notified the International Committee that it would be impossible for British boxers to compete- at future Olympic meetings. Some French newspapers are beginning to express the view that the Olympic Games do more harm than good in the field of international relations.]

DISAGREEABLE SCENES. /

DECISIONS AT BOXING BOUTS. (Received This Day, 12.20 p.m.) LONDON, July 22. The newspapers without exception comment outspokenly on the disagreeable incidents and disgraceful scenes characterising practically the whole course of the- Olympic Games. The climax was reached in the final stages of the boxing during the semi-final of the middleweight between an Englishman and a Frenchman. The latter hit his opponent’s chest and employed flagrantly foul tactics throughout. Notwithstanding that he was clearly outclassed, the Frenchman was awarded the fight. This is only one of a number of shocking decisions. The Britishers protested and the decisions were ! eventually reversed, thereby averting i the withdrawal from the contests of the [ whole English-speaking competitors, [.including the American. | The ill-feeling continued in the finals at night, when the scenes were unparalleled and a pandemonium followed several decisions. Two hundred gendarmes and squads of soldiers with difficulty restored order.