Will Britain Boycott Olympics ?

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 65, 18 March 1938, Page 8

Will Britain Boycott Olympics ?

FIXTURE AT TOKIO GAMES WITH “CIVILISED” NATIONS PREFERRED United Pres 3 Association—By Electric TeleKraoh. —Copyright. LONDON, March 16. A decision to bold the 1940 Olympic Games at Tokio was reached by the Olympic Council at Cairo after the rejection of a motion presented by the Chinese delegate, Mr Wang, that the Games should be allotted to some other country. The council felt, after Mr Kano's assurance that Japan was ready to carry out the Games, that it could not depart from the original charter granted to Japan. The dates were fixed at September 21 to October 6, in response to the Japanese suggestion that they should be arranged to avoid the heat and humidity of August. Britain, America, and France opposed the change from August, which, they held, would exclude university students from participating. The council stipulated that Tokio’s International Exhibition must close a month before the opening of the Olympic Games. A Tokio message reports widespread satisfaction at the decision to hold the Games at Tokio. The chairman of the Japanese Olympic organisation, Mr Takashigoh, expressed regret that the change of date would affect university students. Lord Burghley, the chairman of the British Olympic organisation", declined to comment on the decision. The chairman of the British Amateur Athletic Association, Mr Pash, said that, judging from opinion in his organisation, there would be little British support for the Games. Furthermore, he said, in view of international events many clubs were taking the line that the Games had failed to fulfil their original purpose and should be discontinued. The Games, he declared, had come to be considered as a gigantic advertisement for promoting a country. Some competitors were trained at the public expense to maintain the national rather than the sporting reputation of their coutnry. The remedy, he added, appeared to be to confine themselves to friendly matches with America and Scandinavia and other civilised countries. Such an example on the part of Britain would have a wonderful effect. The Olympic Committee decided that the winter Games should be held in Japan without ski-ing.