THE ETHICS OF SPORT

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIV, Issue 1075, 23 July 1924, Page 5

THE ETHICS OF SPORT

OLYMPIAD DENOUNCED.

RECENT DISGRACEFUL SCENES.

By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright. Received July 23, 9.45 a.m. LONDON, July 22. “No more Olympic games” is tho heading under which the Times delivers judgment upon the disgraceful scenes at Pans. It says: “The unhappy experience has confirmed with dreadful clearness the longfelt misgivings that the tendency of these games is to inflame rather than to allay international animosities. The Olympiad has been weighed in Hie balance and found, not only wanting, but positively dangerous. Both the actions of the individual competitors and tho spectators have given rise to disagreeable incidents of a definitely provocative and volcanic character. Even (lie judging has not been free from reproach.” It adds: “Disturbances of this kind, culminating in open expressions of national hostility, might conceivably ond in worse trouble. The peace of tho world is too precious to justify any risk, however wild the idea may seem, of being sacrificed on the altar of international sport. The right spirit of such eport was rightly shown at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Despite the severity of their defeat, the Empire competitors and the spectators took the beating in perfect good humour, while tho Americans were entirely free from arrogance of success. But in tho Olympiad apparently this human camaraderie is not proof against the loss of self control to which national partisanship may give rise.”

Tho Times concludes by drawing attention to its correspondents’ view that nobody would be justified in again appealing for public support in sending another full British team to the Olympiad, adding: “It may be expected that the Americans concur in this view and that the death knell of the Olympiad has been sounded.” — Times.