THE OLYMPIC GAMES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23514, 31 May 1938, Page 10

THE OLYMPIC GAMES

There is reason to give credence to the statement of the Observer that Great Britain is unlikely to compete in the Olympic Games such a decision be made, carrying with it the censure of a nation that has a reputation for fair dealing and playing fair, it cannot be regarded as surprising. Whatever justification Japan may claim for the cynical flouting of international law and the savage brutality of the invasion of China, this cannot alter the fact that the whole campaign has been conducted in a manner repugnant to the peace-loving nations. If Japan, as host to the athletes of the world, succeeded in dissociating the Games from any suggestion of political opportunism, it might still be difficult for people of goodwill to agree 'that the capital city of an aggressive nation is a suitable place of venue for a great athletic meeting. But the blatant efforts of the current leaders in Germany to invest the last Olympic Games with a mockheroic glamour of Nazism demonstrated that there are nations which will turn any event to propagandist political ✓ends. The truth is that, although the ideal upon which the festivals of the Olympiad were revived forty-two years ago is an excellent one, in practice these international concourses of athletes have produced an undesirable measure of dissension. It is no lo6se gerteralisation to state that some incident, more often arising from political than from merely administrative difficulties, has created unpleasantness and discord at every Olympic meeting. The records show that the quietest Games were those held in 1904 in the United States, when only four nations were able to send competitors. Disputes and recriminations have characterised some phase of every other festival, the causes of contention extending from the “ monstrous boots ” worn by the British tug-of-war team in 1908 to the accommodation provided for the United States team at Antwerp in 1920. If no other cause for disagreement has existed, the claims of rival nations to act as host have always provided a talking-point. In these circumstances it is not remarkable that at least a temporary discontinuance of the Olympic Games,has frequently been discussed. If Great Britain offers no team for competition in Tokio in 1940, it is probable that insofar as they have a true international character the Olympic Games will lapse. And so long as there are nations which cannot ex-

elude from the field of sport manifestations best suited to the field of war, there need be no tears shed over the abandonment of them. The Empire Games which were conducted so successfully in Sydney this year provide the British peoples with an opportunity to test their athletic ability in an atmosphere unspoiled by jealous nationalism. There is no reason why they should not develop into a fixture which succeeds, where the Olympic Games have failed, in assembling sportsmen prepared to meet in amity and match their powers without rancour.