OLYMPIC GAMES

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 128, 3 June 1927, Page 2

OLYMPIC GAMES

NEW ZEALAND'S PART

The regard held by sportsmen in England for New Zealanders is expressed in a letter received by the president of the New Zealand Olympic Association (Right Hon. J. G. Coates) from Lord Rochdale, chairman of the British Olympic Council. The letter in the first place refers to the gratification felt by the council when it was learned that the Prime Minister had accepted the, presidency of the New Zealand Association, and that under his pat: ronage and leadership steps were being taken to build up the Olympic movement in New Zealand on a stronger vbasis and to sa£ure for it a comprehensive and permanent organisation. The real purpose and importance, of the international Olympic movement was to give to sport its proper place in the national life of the peoples of the world, to promote tha development of athletic patimes in countries where they were not greatly practised, and to provide occasions at not too frequent intervals for the best athletes of the world to compete together. In that way it was hoped to do something throughV '' comradeship of sport to lay" a" firm .foundation for in: ternatioaal friendship among the nations of the world.-- The council believed that in that, great progress had been made. The practice of games and athletic pastimes had spread far and wide. It had •always been the. belief of the council that Great Britain and the Dominions should take as great a part as possible in the Olympic movement, and in particular in the Olympic Games. On the two occasions New Zealand had been represented as a separate nation, at. the Games,* its team, though Email, had acquitted itself with great honour.and had shown that the athletes of the Dominion were capable of competing with the finest athletes in the world. The council expressed its warmest hopes that New Zealand might always be represented at the Olympic Games in future, and that its teams.might figure more and more prom-' inently and successfully in the great contests of the Games. With reference to the letter, the Prime Minister said that he' desired strongly to emphasise his- conviction and keen desire that this Dominion should not-fall behind the Mother Country and the other Dominions in its efforts to further the Olympic movement in which the Olympic Games played such an important part. As president of the Olympic Association he appealed to all lovers of sport in the Dominion to. support the Olympic Council in its efforts to finance a strong team. New Zealand might possibly not win a single event, but victory (which -would be the crowning glory for comparatively few; of the large nnmber vbf competitors who would be there) was not everything. New Zealand had'been declared •■ to be a separate nation for the ' purposes of - the' Games, with its ■ own ■ regresentative on the Inter.nationaly Olympic Committee. That honour, concluded Mr. Coates, brought with-it responsibility, which, he was sure, every true' New. Zealand sportsmau would.be proud to. chare.' :