Olympic Games Italian President Opens 17th Olympic Games
. (N.Z. Preu Auociation —Copyright? ROME, August 25. The President of the Italian Republic, Mr Giovanni Gronchi, opened the seventeenth Olympic Games in a colourful ceremony in Rome’s magnificent new Olympic Stadium today. The off-white marble stadium, which cost over £1,000,000 to build, was packed to its. capacity of 100,000 for the start of the biggest Olympic Games in the modern era, which started in 1896 in Athens. More than 6000 competitors from more than 80 nations are taking part.
So numeral* were the entries that for the first time in Olympic history the athlete* in 'the parade had to be limited. Only 4200 were able to take part Shortly after 4.30 pjn. local time, the President arrived and massed bends played the Italian national anthem. As he took his seat on the tribune of honour, the march past began. The Greeks were first into the stadium, an honour granted to them at each Olympiad as the founders of the modem games. The huge Italian squad, conspicuous in sky-blue blazers, brought up the rear as the hosts. When the teams were in posi-
tion, the president of the Italian Olympic Committee, Mr Guilio Onesti, and the president of the International Olympic Committee, Mr Avery Brundage, mounted the rostrum. After addresses by both, Mr Gronchi was invited to declare the Games open—the climax of years of toil for the Italians, who spent £25,000,000 on the games. The Olympic flag was carried into the arena by eight Italian sailors and hoisted to the mainmast as massed bands played and choirs sang the Olympic hymn Cannons boomed and hundreds of doves, symbolising peace, flew into the sky above the brightlycoloured arena. All eyes immediately turned to the entrance of the stadium as an 18-year-old Roman, Giancarlo Peris, ran in with the Olympic flame, brought from Greece. Peris, a university student, was the last of a relay of runners to carry the flame. Olympic Oath After he had lit the flame, which will burn brightly day and night over the stadium until the games end on September 11, the Olympic oath was taken on behalf of all athletes present by the great Italian discus thrower, Aoldo ConsolinL a former world record holder. Then the teams marched out of the arena in the same order as they had come in. At the Olympics, the giant contingents from Russia and the United States will be battling for
supremacy as the world’s top sporting nation.
Russia has 374 competitors and America 324. At the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Russia won 37 gold medals and the United States 32. Russia’s strength in gymnastics, wrestling and possibly shooting, should again make it the major gold medal winning country. Australia is hopeful it can again finish third in the number of gold medals won, but officials are not prepared to predict that the 13 gold medals won in Melbourne will be surpassed. Australia may not dominate the swimming as was expected a few months ago, but in athletics, H. Elliott, in spite of strong opposition, is expected to win the 1500 metres. The consensus of opinion, is that M. G. Halberg is New Zealand’s best hope for a gold medal, but the walker, N. R. Read, and Miss V. Sloper are other possibilities, with the cyclist, W. Dalton, B, Magee in the marathon, and the yachtsmen being in with a chance for silver or bronze medals.
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29293, 26 August 1960, Page 6
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574Olympic Games Italian President Opens 17th Olympic Games Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29293, 26 August 1960, Page 6
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