ATHLETICS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14868, 20 December 1911, Page 6

ATHLETICS.

THE : FIFTH OLYMPIAD; A UNIFORM STANDARD PROGRAMME A , NOTE OF WARNING. ' England is not the only ;country which, has found room for ,; complaint in the ' programme for the Olympic Games at Stockholm next year. The French Olympic Committee recently commissioned one of its j members to draw up -a report on the pro- ; grammo, and in this report several objec- j tions to tho programme; wore made. Comments on these objections are made in the October number of the Revue Olympique. The Stockholm'' Olympiad, it is pointed out, is a free Olympiad, and also the last of the free Olympiads, inasmuch as the International Committee left the arrangement of the first games, very wisely, practically altogether in the hands of those who devoted their time and money to them. In this way only it was possible to win partisans for the great cause, and to wake and keep alive an enthusiasm not yet strong enough to stand many restrictions and regulations. But now that tho victory of the Olympic movement is assured, the committee has deemed that* the time has come to work out a uniform standard programme and regulations, both 1 to be compulsory for all future games. It will be .', tho .chief task .of_ the congress, which will meet in Paris in 1914, to draw up such a programme and such regulations. Thus the Swedes are absolutely within their right in drawing up such a programme as they have clone, however well founded some of the objections raised in the French report appear to be. At the same, time the Swedish committee would perhaps have done better to entertain "a little more freely the wishes and objections of the other nations. On the other hand, tho great sacrifices of • work, energy, and 'money which the nation enterprising an Olympiad necessarily has to face, merit the highest and most unstinted recognition, and should bo immune of sterile criticism. In that spirit the Revue Olympique urges that the : Swedish programme—notwithstanding its shortcomings—should be - unreservedly accepted. At the same time it is pointed out that reports such -as the French should be worked out by all nations for tho 1914 congress, .where they will bo the most valuable material for the drawing up of the standard programme. In tlio same ; number of tho Revue Olympique appears -a '■ n»te addressed :'.by M. lo Baron Pierre do Coubertin. president of the International Olympic , Committee, to his colleagues, of ;: which wo give' the chief contents. Various members of the International Committee have watched - with growing concern, the' '. unhealthy ambition among governments and municipalities to beat each other in the erection of costly and: extensive stadia for athletic purposes. Exception is taken of this ambition for that roason mostly, that the/vast amounts spent on such:constructions had far better.be applied, in subsidising athletic ; societie's,: thus helping on the good work which they do in spite of sometimes very, scanty resources. The other point is that these stadia encourage tho arrangement of athletic meetings which, owing to their spectacular nature and an undesirable element of puff, are not in the interest of true sport. - Furthermore, such spectacular meetings are greatly responsible for swelling the number of those who prefer to watch athletics rather than to take part in them, and thus help on the steadily growing spirit of ; professionalism. It would ■ bo most regrettable that such unhealthy > manifestations of athletics- as the construction of big. stadia where there is no need for them could be traced back to the Olympic ■ movement itself, as most decidedly the first stadia were. Olympic, institutions, and in more than < one case the erection of new ones ' took place ,■> under • tho " encouragemerit of Olympic "Committees. It stands to reason that every country where an i. Olympiad takes place should wish to have a stadium,, but hero also a ; temporary construction, to bo done away with after the termination :of the- games, ; should suffice. Much money would bo saved in this way, and the regrettable consequences of '.', big permanent structures would : v be avoidod. Baron de Coubertin,; in concluding Iris note, expresses" the wish that" the Olympic "-committees should '--strongly discourage;the ■' construction of big; stadia, f and "not degrade themselves into purveyors of spectacular athletics. He goes even further, and hopes that in days to come the : Olympic Games may only be accessible to invited spectators, because it is not the aim of true and noble sport to serve ',tho f curiosity of the crowd, from whose deteriorating influence our athlotos should; be carefully guarded.

Matters f. in ; the athletic world . are .very tame : at present, '; and little is j said, especially in! ■ this locality, regardingi : candidates .<; for the - Olympic Games • (writes the l American correspondent of the ..;London- Sportsman under date October 17). : V It is admitted; that the. crock New York performers will have some difficulty : in satisfying our governing "jbody, as-well as that of the Games, as to their amateur "'; qualifications, and i this fact has caused some uneasiness, not alone in tho Irish-American, but in ; the New York Athletic- Club. ■ Several prominent members of the. first-named club are not citizens, and other .* loading competitors are ;really professionals. In the -Universities ?there • are a number of t men * fully qualified, bqjUi % from an amateur status and > ability, ■■■■ to compete abroad, , and from these, as . well y t as T from Pennsylvania, Illinois, i and Washington, we will eventually draw our team. Subscriptions to the fund j raised <to meet expenses of the trip are coming in very slowly at present, but when: supporters of the ; game are assured;, that " none - but ■•> legitimate ■ representatives will be sent to Sweden there will be little difficulty, regarding the cost.

' AMATEUR ATHLETICS. NOTES AND COMMENTS. The entries: for the Auckland Amateur Athletio and \ Cycle Club's summer carnival, to be held on the Domain on Saturday, January 6, though not as large as the spring carnival, ' are nevertheless good. ;. A ; pleasant feature is > the increased entry in the hurdle '• race. ..The hurdle race at the spring ' carnival, 120 yds ,; drew' a very poor entry, "v so the committee »' altered ' the distance ,to 220 yds, an alteration which * has apparently met with the approval of the runners. This race was advertised to "be over seven flights. of *: hurdles, which was evidently a mistake, as'. tho amateur • rules , require; ail amateur hurdle \ races to be , over lu flights of 'hurdles. ' A. A. Dormor, of Opotiki, who was unable !to > be" present "■ at the spring ; carnival, ' is again among- the entrants, and his performances : will be watched' with some interest. ■ • ■■••-:. ' The • Hamilton Amateur Athletio Club's carnival on Boxing promises to be a huge success. A large contingent of . Auckland»runners- will make the trip, among the number being. J. R. Simpson; J.: J. Mulvihill, A. A. Dormor (Opotiki), and F. (R. Oarolaij, so some capital sport should "be witnessed.''' ' - "; ' ' ' " " " , ' The , Rotorua amateur sports meeting, '• set down ■ for New Year's • Bay,', has been postponed indefinitely, as the date clashed with that of other meetings. ,

; .. . UNDER. UNION , RULES. ' • ;• . FIXTURES. ' ;- ' % - December: 26—Kohukohu ; Sport?,, December 30-7-PakuKinga ; Athletic Society. '■• " ; January :1— Aroha Fire Brigade , Sports. - 'a January I—Mauku Athletic*' Sports' , January Taupo Sports. .; January 27 and ; 29—Championships * (Frankton Junction. >, ,

\/ ; NOTES AND i COMMENTS.' <'■ Entries for tho Mauku : sporEs will on Friday, and entries for the Taupo sports -will close on Saturday. , , * i The .Auckland centre of the: New Zealand Athletic and Cycling Union has declared the Dargaville sports to be an unregistered meeting,. and a warning to athletes is inserted, in our advertising columns. •'< • The Athletic Conference is to be held in the Frankton Town Hall on January 27 and 29, on which days the New • Zealand championships are to be decided. The jprize of £60 attached to the "Waikato Hundred" ;• is - attracting the ' attention of pedestrians all over the Dominion and Australia. There is every indication of a heavy field for this event. .. Sawing and chopping men are practising in several sawmilling centres for the - chopping contest at the championship gathering, where £20 'is set aside as first' prize for 18in log. The leading item on the Taupo Athletio Club's programme 4is the handicap over 100 yds, 200 yds, and 400 yds. The first prize is £7, and ' the ':,' event will be { run under union rules.

*A j very •' good < programme * ; has ■<". been arranged for the. Mauku Athletic Club's sports on New , Year's - ( Day. The principal ; event will be the Mauku Cup f Handicap, 220 yds, for a first prize of £5, second £1, and third 55. ;; Altogether there are.' 17. ©Tents ■on the programme, ' ,