OLYMPIC GAMES

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 56, 7 March 1914, Page 15

OLYMPIC GAMES

FAILURE OF BRITISH APPEAL A STARTLING CHARGE. <FROII OUR OWN COKRESPONDBST.)

LONDON, 16th January. About six months ago there was a great flourish' of trumpets on the part of the Daily Mail and several other papers, which announced quite unequivocally that unless £100,000 was raised within % few months to purchase and prepare brawn for the Olympic games at Berlin in 1916 the British "'Empire would como to an end. a>nd the navy 3ink from sheer shame. Noblomen endorsed this statement, and mothers' meetings' sobbed to think of what was imminent. The Duko of Westminster gave £5000, t and Ijecame a member of the Olympio Council; and the public gave a few pounds under the conviction that every single win of the Americans and the Germans at the Olympio gamee meant simply the expenditure of a definite sum of money 'in preparation. But the public gave Very few pounds; and by and by tho council announced that' unless^'thcy had £25,000 subscribed by the end of the year it Would be useless to go further. Enthusiasm was evidently almost dead. _ Now it is quito dead. It was buried this morning. The special committee has issued a> statement showing that <only £10,000 has been subscribed, or promised, to date, a sum "entirely inadequato to finance any satisfactory scheme," and consequently it has resigned with dignity intact. To fulfil ail that was threatened under the absurd ferment into which tho press worked itself at the. time, it would be necessary for the Bank of England to stop payment forthwith, and for St, Paul's to bo turned into a picture palace. But wo aro a resourceful people, and therefore wo listen calmly and respectfully to 'an alternative scheme put forward by Mr. A. B. George, Mr. George ha* a right to speak. He has had over 25 yeai's' experience of athletics in Canada^ South Africa, England, the United States, and Sweden. Ho is an Englishman 3 and it was he who organised tho meeting, under Lord Desborough's chairmanship, which lost August disoussed the lessons of the' games a>t Stockholm. What ho proposes it eimply the rather startling expedient of defeating our enemies by ottr own personal efforts and personal conduct, and not relying entirely upon money. The charge Mr. George makes against tho British Olympic athletes is too serious to be given except in his own words. He says; — "In what way did this country suffer most through the Stockholm Olympic games? The answer undoubtedly is: 4 'ur loss of prestige as a sporting nation in consequence of the untrue charges against some of our rivals, and the American, athletes in particular. Then there was the slovenly appearance of our representatives during the parade of nations at the formal opening 1 of the games, in contrast to the smart and martial bearing of most of the other nations' athletes. "Furthermore, the uncouth and ill-man-nered conduct of some of our representatives, particularly in tho dining hall of th 6 publio building where meals wore mostly taken, created much unfavourable comment amongst foreigners, many of whom loOk on England as the homo of good* manners. There is no need of a £100,000 fund to remedy the faults named, and they are far more important than the failure of our athletes to win the greatest number of victories, . . It will bt* a national disgrace if wo have the 6ame trouble in 1916. _ It must be confessed that the athletic relationship between England and the United States has not •_been improved by tho games. There are faults on both sides. Sportsmen cannot forget the deliberate case of impeding by an American athlete in the final of the 400 metres race at the 1908 festival. Our hands were not clean, however, • and tho want of 'tact and the action of •* certain officials' during the London,. games- gave the Americans just cause to feel offended; Tho trouble and ill-feeling over the . Stockholm games was entirely-.of, our own, "riiakingi Sovera^ cfiargeS of', foul .tactics; were levelled against American athletes,! but without tho slightest' foundation. It is truo that prominent English competitors, including Mr. ..P. J, , Baker,, of.Cambridgo University, publicly testified to the unfairness of the charges, and to the honesty of tho Americans, but far greater" prominence was .given to tho attacks than to tho statements ,of fact." Mr. George advises that care should .be taken only to select men. to represent England who Would be creditable both in. prowess and 'in perspnal conduct; to give a. committee power to put offenders off the team ; to have an official report on. tho, fairness of tho game; and to drill the competitors sufficiently to make a decent appearance on tho parade. "Far bettor," ho says, "lose every event on the programme than forfeit our reputation as a* nation of sportsmen, which has sadly suffered of late years, America, in particular, having cause to consider us very bad losors."