OLYMPIC GAMES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1320, 26 December 1911, Page 5

OLYMPIC GAMES.

ENTHUSIASM IN AUSTRALIA.

INTERVIEW WITH MR. R. COOMBES,

Richard Coombes, the doyon of Australia's sporting pressmen and enthu. siaits, arrived from Sydney via Auckland last 'evening to act as referee at the big Australasian Amateur Athletic Championship meeting, which is to bo held here to-day and (β-inorrovr. It was touch and go whether the meeting would havo the honoured sorviqos of Mr. Coombes, as the Victoria only arrived in Auckland from Sydney at 9.30 p.m. on Sunday, hut, us it happened, Mr. Coombes' was the first passenger pnssed by the Health Officer (Dr. ijhiriuan) at Auckland. Ho also won, his way past an obliging Customs ofliciftl, and, by dint of. unusual personal agility, he reached the Auckland station in time to throir himself on to the second ex-pi-caa. 'riiuu;;li there wore many on tl\e Victoria anxious to como south, ho was the only one. to "breast tho. tape," and it should bo a matter for consideration, on the part of the council whether his perl'oniuaso should not bo recognised us a record. As most people interested in athletina of any kind are aware, Mr.-Coombes is the editor of tho "Sydnoy Rofereo," and, incidentally, was selected to. manage the Australasian Festival of Empire athletio team in England earlier in tho yeor. He refers to Lord Dosborough, tho chairman of that hugo carnival, as "one of tho finest men in the world," and tho fact that the athletic paH of t.hc festival was more or loss of a fizzlo he attributes In ita being dwarfed by iho bigger national events held in connection with tho Coronation. Tho big day of tho meeting was the day of tho great naxal review at Spithead—what could possibly happen under such conditions? ' All tho world went to Spitheud, and the meeting only attracted a few hundred people. One of the chief objects of his visit to ■Wellington is tho Olympic Games Council mooting which is to bo held at the Grand Hotel un Thursday evening. It fell to Mr. Coombes's lot to appoint .'representatives for each of t_ho States- of the Commonwealth and New Zealand' some time ago, at the roquost of (lie ' ixa~: cutivo council in Europe. It-will iio\r bo (ho function of the Australasian Council to appoint a small executive cominit-;' too to transact business of moment of an' urgent character. ""■!■ Vrhero that committee will sit, and howit will be constituted will bo considered on Thursday evening. This matter,ia one which will have to be- settled at once, as tho next Olympic Games aro to bo hold at Stockholm (Sweden) in July next. At that big athletic gathering 41 nations are already pledged to send representatives, these including even China and Japan. Australasia is to bo very substantially represented. New' South Wales !m.s already decided to tend an eight-oared crew and four swimmers. Tasmania intends :a send M'Villy (nephew of Mr. It, W. M'Villy, of WVllinpton) to compete in tho sinjlo sculls. Victoria docs not in-' '■. toad to,bo represented, but is loyally a.v sisting the movoment. The llenlcy-on-Yarra CommiHoo have already contributed XSO to M'Villy's o.ir-onses, and may do a Rood deal nioro yet, and a State subsidy is a probability. Mr. Coomlvvs hopes that New Zwilam] will bo solidly reprotxnted. Now South WaWs representatiro on the council Mr. A. G. Do L. Arnold, is a by tho Manuka, duo hero from Svdney 10-morroTT morning. "