Olympic Cavalcade

I !f 94 OLYMPIC CAVALCADE Other events: .2nd in Gymnastics competition Ill; in¥achting, 2nd in the 10 metres class, 3rd in the 12 metres class, and 3rd in the 8 metres class. Apart from the records and the results of the Vth Olympiad the things I r~member best about that Celebration -are the complete care taken in the preparattons te ensure the greatest comfort and convenience in competition ~of the foreign athletes whom the _Swedes were entertaining in their _beautiful and ancient dty. As de Coubertin had said-, there could have been no better nor more fitting p_lace found for the-Celebration of an Olympiad, nor more capable and c::eurteous hosts than the"Swedes themselves, who were almost embarrassing-in- the wealth and extent of their_hospitality. Track and Field athletics, Cycling, _Horse Riding, Swimming and so _on are the subjects which I have ~ touched upon but lightly, and 'Wrestling n()t at all, since the styles in vogue at that Olympiad we!"e some– thing qu!te new to the majority of British wrestlers. Much interest was shown, however, in the display of Icelandic 'Glima' Wrestling· and- in the contests for a cqp presented by Icelanders living in Denmark. . The dis.rlays and exhibition games were very popular in 1912 and have remained-sg) n suh~equent Olympiad~ because they bring ro the peoples of the Host Na1:igns opportunities of se·eing =andpossibly participating in.Team games and individual contests whic!_J. to them as nations have' remained sealed mysteries in tlfe past. - _ _ ~ -.. ~ - F or_~xample, much had been ~heard~~ of CO.!:lrse, from Scatldinavians who had emigrq.te~ to; or. a~ least visited, ~e_-United States, of the ball games to which -the wboJe . pepulace -seem_e~- to go -in so many cities, ~ut no attempt had been .m?de to ·establish-tne game in__?wed·en until-the Vestras Baseball Club was formea ·in:1910. - ~. ·- _ In the.Spt:-ing· of 1912 that club_was_'askecl if it could find a team willing to meet the Americans, who were coming to Sweden for the Olympic G<!mes, in an exhibition. baseball match. Greatly daring, Vesttas agreed to db so. Thereafter~ the club, by constant practice _on three nights in each -week,, go( together a teanLwhichjt -;~as __ hoped wou_ld prove_sufficiently skilful to give tlje men from A~eric.a, ilie true Mecca of all baseball fans and . players; at least a reasonably good game. · The Olympic Committee had scnecl_uled that game to be played in the _. Stadium O!l~!o July, but the_Horse l{iCling-contests were then on, so that fixture was s}Jifted to I7 July at the 0st~rmalm Athletic Grounds. - 'Fhe}roubl~Dfthe J);vedes was tfiat ;heywere weak in the 'battery', so the Americans very sportingly suggested lending them Ben Adams and Wesley Oler, famous els~where in the Standing-and Running High }!_1mps. - One_fealure:- of the play w¥ch ~mlJ~ed the Swedish spectators, and in particular~ the javelin throwers, ~past, _present and "future, was the ability of the 'Ritcher' ,_Ben Adams, ·!o throw J:he ball so that it 'broke' in the air. And maybe=the ~candin4vians have: rurned to good account .the _art of -deflecting a missi-le-while in flight frQm its direct parabolic course,_fo:t; I have . - ~- - -