The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, The Echo and The Sun. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1938. WHO FOR HELSINGFORS ?

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 286, 3 December 1938, Page 8

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, The Echo and The Sun.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1938. WHO FOR HELSINGFORS ?

For the cause that lacks assistance, For the wrong that needs resistance, For the future in the distance, And the good that tee can do.

5) | The -Fmpario-c having litiiilly decided that tin* win - m ('lima i- innro than an " incident," the next Olympiad is to be held in I lel-iugl'ors, the capital nt' the country Iruiii which have t*<lll ->i-1<• 111 ly come mhiii' "1 I tile win-Ill*.- greatest. iit lili't i'.-. In perhaps | I lie "renter part nf the world athletic ' |irmvi's- is Finland's chid' claim tn lame, I< i f ll i- ;i little cniinfry ;md .'I peaeetnl line, and -it it i- nut "new-," except when men like l'a.ivn Nllrmi force it- name inln the headline-. I >mil>l less the Finn-, ill >•> n - promptly nndert<iking tlin re.-pon-iltilii v id' iirgniii-nig the next ' >1 yinpiad, wore impelled 11• 11 •'lll\ by Inve of athletics in gem-ial but ;.| Ity the thi>n lt ht- tluit an opportunity had enllle tn make their emmtry hotter ktmwn ls t liroii'j'lmiit the world. And tliis week in ;.. New Zealand, with the same two ninti\e-, - v 'j the officials of the Olympic A-social inn ; ;j| 11.i \ e been considering whether il i-iidvi-altlc and pract ieahlo to .-end a team tn II el -i ng for,-, in 1!• 10. The Dominion ha- heen represented at , all Olympiad* hut. one since 1!)0S. It- ! ~>ii-i'i■ — i'— have lieen tew, not only lteeail-e J the compel i I ion from larger count rio- iI extraordinarily keen hut heoan-e jithletes . ' -cut from New Zealand have u-uallv not Ifcn able to irivo of tlieir host under -trance cnndition> ill a foreign country north of the eijiiator. Now Zealaiifl's oulstandintr victory came in HWI> at Berlin, when .lack Loveloek won the 1500 metres in nm -17 !-■">>. liovolock, of course, had heen in tlie northern ; lieiui-pliere, and competintr in the " he-t company," for years before 1031!. Many people incline to the view that the effort and expense of sending teams tr Europe are not .justified. This year, when the Briti-h Kmpire Games were hold in Sydney, Now Zealand was strongly ropresonted, and the enthusiastic interest aroused strengthened the opinion that the Dominion would L r ;iin '' more benefit and enjoyment by sendin? 15 larger teams short distances than a necessarily small team a long distance. This argument deserves earnest consideration by the athletic authorities, and indeed it should not he rejected unless there are available athletes whose past performances and present form entitle them to the opportunity of competing among the world's best, with a chance of proving themselves better. The opinion expressed by members of the Olympic Council i-s that there arc no s more than two athletes of Olympic standard in the Dominion at present —V. P. Boot and C. H. Matthews. Both represented New* Zealand at Berlin, but their most notable feats were performed at Sydnov t his year, when both broke Empire, records. Matthews' time for three miles was only 9b below the international record; Boot's half-mile in lm 51 2-5s compares with the record of lm 49 l-ss. It is for the athletic authorities to consider whether both men can improve their times, taking into J consideration the fact that Matthews, " in particular, would have to compete a in Finland against the Finnish runners who hold the majority of the longdistance records. If the judgment is favourable, then the chosen athletes, 9 j following the advice of Dr. Lovelock, should be given full op|M>rtunity to give of their best. Too often in the past have managers of Olympic teams returned to point out that their charges were handicapped by lack of training time, unsuitable food or unfamiliarity with competitive conditions. The Olympic Council has had enough experience to justify the public in expecting 1 such difficulties to be removed. If they cannot be removed, no team should be sent.