ATHLETICS

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume VII, Issue 361, 24 June 1897, Page 10

ATHLETICS

Touching the Fitzsimmons v. Corbett fight* thus the Medical Press and Circular ; —“The deciding buffet was evidently one administered over the celiac plexus, called ‘ a blow on the heart,’ really on the stomach. The referee described it as ‘ an under-arm punch,’ just belowand slightly to the right of, the heart, which is, being interpreted, the pit of the stomach. By the laws of the ring the blow is a fair one. By the laws of common humanity, however, it is a cowardly outrage little short of a deliberate attempt at assassination. The fatal nature of a severe blow to the network of visceral nerves, known as the celiac plexus, makes such punches as those which finished Corbett among the most deadly that can be inflicted with fist. By the way, what have the anti-vivisectionists to say to this brutality inflicted by man upon man ? ” The athletic events in connection with the military tournament of Tuesday and Wednesday were too late in the week to come on for notice in these columns, but will be given attention next week. It might, however, just be mentioned that Lieutenant Lewis, champion amateur sprinter of the Australasian squadron, was amongst the competitors, being on the scratch mark, with R. Oliphant, on the 100yds and 300 yds events. At a recent meeting of the council of the New Zealand Amateur Association the following records were passedA. H. Holder, 120yds Hurdles (16sec) and 440yds Hurdles (58 4-ssec) at the N.Z. Championship; Hori Eurera, in pole jump, lift o£in at the A.A.A. and C.C. sports of March 31st.

At the annual general meeting of the Amateur Athletic Association, held in London on April 24th, the only business of real importance on the agenda paper was the recommendation from the. sub committee that, in lieu of the old rule which read “ a competitor who asks for or receives expenses ceases to be an amateur,” the following should be substituted —“ a competitor in athletic competitions, other than the A.A.A. Championship or bona fide international inter-club, interteam, inter-college, or inter-school contests, who a-ks for or receives travelling expenses ceases to be an amateur. No club, society, or managing body promoting an athletic competition shall either directly or indirectly pay or offer a monetary consideration to, or the travelling expenses of, any competitor in such competition. Clubs, colleges, or schools shall be answerable for any payments made them, and, if called upon to do so, shall produce full details «.f the same and accounts to the A.A.A. (North, South, or Midlands) committee.” This caused a discussion of considerable length, but was finally carried by a large majority.