THE OLYMPIC GAMES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23050, 30 May 1938, Page 8

THE OLYMPIC GAMES

A further suggestion has been made, by a London paper, that Britain will take no part in the Olympic Games, due to be held in Japan in 1910. It is not the first time the possibility has been mentioned; nor is it only concerning Britain that such doubts have been expressed. The international situation, of course, is at the bottom of the difficulty. This time it is suggested also that absence from Japan will mean the end of British participation in the games, the Empire Games being developed as a substitute. A reference to nations using the Olympic fixture to enhance national prestige alludes, no doubt, to the questions of Nazi propaganda raised when Berlin was the scene of the last games. The upshot of it all is that extreme nationalism, something it was long hoped the Olympic Games would help to counteract, is now threatening their very existence. The history of the games has not been free of incidents that have not helped to increase amity. Usually they have been caused by too much keenness to win, followed by a disposition to dispute verdicts, or the rulings of umpires or referees. These are tendencies which greater experience, and a broadened conception of sportsmanship might have cured. The newer development, by which international politics threaten to invade the arena, is a greater menace. If Britain withdraws, the games will be dealt a deadly blow. If, as indicated, Empire Games are being considered as a substitute, the need for a common Empire policy toward the Olympic question, already existing, will become imperative.