Athletics of To-Day 1929

The Growth of Modern Athletics 27 upon the Continent in the annual Landskamp, at which Norway, Sweden, and Denmark contend for the title of champion Scandinavian country. Meanwhile an even greater impulse towards international competition was in process of gestation. In r887 a famous Frenchman, Baron Pierre de Courbertin, visited England in search of a system whereby he could lead his countrymen to take such an active interest in physical culture as would tend to counteract the depression which ensued upon the crushing defeat inflicted upon France by Germany in r87o. During his stay in England the Baron quickly developed a great admira– tion for the English Public Schools sports system, and from that inspiration grew the desire to impart the English ideals of sport, not only to France, but to the whole civilised world by organising a meeting of the amateur athletes and other active sportsmen of all nations in healthy international rivalry every four years. It was a tremendous project-nothing short, in fact, of an attempt to revive the Olympic Games of ancient Greece in a form best suited to modern conditions- and the first steps towards its achievementwere fraught withmany difficulties. Baron de oubertin, howev r, remained undaunted by rebuffs and set-backs and, splendidly aided by Mr. C. Herbert of the English A.A.A., and Profes or Wm. M. loane of the American A.A.U., he succeeded in convening a Congr ss, which was held in the Sorbonne University at aris on June r6th, r8g4. At this ongress there were present d 1 gates from Am rica, Belgium, England, ranee, Gr ece, Italy, Russia, Spain, and Swed n, while Au tralia, oh mia, Germany, Holland, and Hungary s nt messages promising their support in any future arrangem nts upon which the ongress should decide. The d liberations of the Congress resulted in the foundation of an International lympic ommittee, under the presidency of Baron Pierre de oubertin, which resolved that Olympic ames should be held every fourth year in a different country. olonel Bal k, of weden, put in a strong claim for th initial celebration to take place at Stockholm, but Greece had premier rights, if only on grounds of sentiment, and the