Fifty Years of Progress 1880-1930

FOREWORD tion has been able to do a great deal more than this. When Sir Montague wrote, "Shamateurism" was rampant, prizes were valuable, and pot– hunting and betting were common evils. The A.A.A. by its construc– tive policy of promoting team racing and reducing prize values has gone far to remedy these defects. The great increase in inter-club matches and relay races which has been in progress during the last ten years is one of the most favourable signs of the times. Moreover, it is a fact worthy of comment that the bigger the race the smaller now is the reward. Very much of this is due either directly to the A.A.A. or in– directly through its officials who are using their influence in their own clubs. Those who have had experience of the Olympic Games know that the definition of an amateur is the most difficult question in Athletics. In the old days there were" gentlemen amateurs," and hard as it is to get an adequate definition of an amateur, it is still harder to define a gentleman. The object aimed at is quite simple, viz., to keep amateur competitions for those who go in for them as a sport in distinction to those who, quite legitimately, take them up as a means of livelihood. The A.A.A. solved th~ question in early days by a very sound definition, but the traditions and practices in different sports are so varied that a universal definition is at present impossible. Abuses even in Athletics, I suppose, still exist, but are much less flagrant than they used to be, and the A.A.A. for fifty years has striven hard and successfully to keep untarnished the reputation of England for being the home of sportsmanship. By adhering to the principles on which it was founded the Amateur Athletic Association has done a great work, not only through its excellent organisation and shrewd code of laws, but by breaking down class dis– tinctions between athletes, and so helping to make Athletics one of the greatest democratic sports both in England and all over the world. 4