1940 OLYMPIC GAMES

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 159, 8 July 1938, Page 11

1940 OLYMPIC GAMES

WILL THEY BE HELD AT TOKIO? DANGER OF ABANDONMENT. ' Will the Olympic Games be held in Tokio in 1940? j Invitations are shortly to be sent I to 50 countries to send teams, and a j great deal will depend on the response of Great Britain. One thing is cer- | lain. If the Games do not take place j as arranged it will be the end of them. , In the circumstances the British decij sicn is one of great responsibility, j There are two important factors, first, the view of the public, and then that

BRITISH OPEN GOLF | j The British Open Golf Title will : be competed lor during the period I from July \to July Z, at Deal. | cl the athletic association, and at the , moment the chance of the next Olymj piad being supported is remote, if a British team does not go to Japan it is extremely unlikely that the Empire j will be represented, and J am told that that America, taking much the same .view of the political situation, will | L'-iso withdraw, says the Auckland j Star’s London correspondent. I Objection is seriously taken against i ihc- exploitation of the Games to win j national glory and prestige. It is j known that victory has brought promotion in government services in some countries, and under the conditions which obtain, agreement on what constitutes amateurism is impossible, j For instance, a competitor who is housed, coached and fed at the expense of the State for six months, and who, if he is successful, gets a good job, is not an amateur according to British principles. It is inevitable, too, that a competitor brought up under a stricter code is at an intolerable disadvantage, and this has now become so marked that the English i Athletic Association is definitely opposed to sending representatives to Tokio. Still another view is strongly expressed by the English authorities. Too icng, they say, they have been compelled to follow others in events such as throwing the hammer and discus, though they do not really interest us. They also object to the metric system, and it is felt that the time has come when they should cease to emulate foreigners. British Empire Games, they say, should take the place of the Olympic Games, and it the Tokio project is abandoned l think it is on these lines that athleties will be continued.