SPORTING EVENTS

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 13, 15 July 1936, Page 9

SPORTING EVENTS

THREE BIG PROJECTS

AUSTRALIAN ANNIVERSARY

(From "The Post's" Representative.) SYDNEY, June 24.

The 8600 miles car race round Australia seems to have a good chance of approval by the organising committee and the State Government as a feature of Australia's 150th -anniversary celebrations in 1938. Two other spectacular sporting events-have now been proposed—one a yacht race from Sydney to Norfolk Island and back, and the other a series of four relays by runners starting from four distant towns and finishing in Sydney during the opening ceremony of the Empire Games. '

The distance from Sydney to Norfolk Island is 904' miles, so-that' the race would be over 1808 miles. The actual distance sailed would, of course, be much greater. With the north-east winds' that usually prevail in January the voyage to Norfolk Island and back is an excellent test of sailing qualities and ' seamanship. The yachts would have,to run nearly into the wind tt> reach the island, the course lying just to., the north of east. The north-east wind would be a favouring one for the: return voyage. If the wind st« that time of the year is not from the north-east it would probably be from the south, a "soldiers' wind" for reaching the island. Norfolk Island has been, closely linked with New South Wales from the earliest times, so that there would be a peculiar significance in the route of the race.

The suggestion for the relays is that one. should start from Eden, on the far South Coast, one from Albury, on the -Victorian border, one from Dubbo in the Far West, and one from Lismore, on the North Coast. Each team provided by a selected athletic club, would have 10 or 12 men, each man to run two periods of two miles a day. They would stop at the important towns on the way and pick up good-will messages from leading citizens. On the final .two miles run all runners would take part, finishing with a.concentration of 48 athletes, all with messages for whoever is performing the opening ceremony of the Games. ;

It is estimated that there will be at least 60,000 spectators at the Games and that the messages will have come from 150 towns, covering an aggregate distance of more than 1600 miles. A suggestion has been made that Victoria, South Australia, and Queensland should be asked to co-operate vrith the movement; and thus add an inter-State flavour to the scheme.