OLYMPIC GAMES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 108, 7 April 1936, Page 2

OLYMPIC GAMES.

JAPAN SEEKING 1’940 EVENT. Efforts were made at Garmisch-Par tenkirchen, where the recent Olympic winter sports were held, by representatives of German newspapers to obtain from Count Baillet-Latour, president of the International Olympic Committee, a hint as to where the next Olympic Games might be held. He said that a large number of countries, especially Japan, Finland, and Italy, had applied for the honour, but that the committee had not yet reached a decision. The Count added, however, that the committee would be influenced in making a selection by the account of conditions in Japan that he brought (hack from a visit he was about to pay to that country.

The president stated that he intended to leave about the middle of February for Japan in order to study on the spot the possibilities offered there for the holding of the Olympic Games. He wished especially to ascertain definitely whether the mountainous regions’ of northern Japan were likely to fulfil the requirements of the winter competitions.

Replying to the suggestion that the number of participants might.be greatly reduced if the Olympic Games were held in Japan, Count Baillet-Latour observed that when Los Angeles was first mentioned it was prophesied on all hands that very few countries would be in a position to undertake the long journey. All such fears, lie added; were proved to be unfounded and he gave it as his opinion that the Olympian idea was so widely developed in Asia to-day that the games would be successfully held in Japan if that country were selected for 1940 by the committee.