Olympic Cavalcade

OLYMPIC CAVALCADE Tlierewere three separate competitions: I, the Equestrian Championship, 2, Training Test; 3, Jumping. . Unfortunately the British Army Council regretted that they were unable to release the required personn,el fur the prolonged period of intensive training necessitated by the high standard of competition, wherefore Great Britain W?S not represented in I and 3 at Amsterdf!m, whereas to Paris in I924 we h<l? sent two teams composed of officers of the British Army. This Olympiad was to bring to light a famous Dutch cavalry soldier, Lieut. C. F. P. de Mortanges, who was to win the Equestrian championship at Amsterdam, 1928, and to retain his title in I932. At Amsterdam he defeated his compatriot, Captain G. P. de Kruijff, by a narrow margin. Holland also won the Team event from Norway and Poland. The training ~test brought Germany, Fran~ce and Sweden into the picture with very close scores in both the Individual and the Tearn events. The Jumping competition was won-Individually 'by Captain F. Ventura, of Czecboslovhlda, and the Team contest bySpain, from Polanq anq Sweden. No places in-any of the Equestrial) events V{ere taken by Great Britain or America. :--~ x - - - ' For the Fencing at ~msterdam the -A:.F:A. sent full teams ancl reseryes for each weapon, and the full number of competitors for Individual events. Some of the younger generation~ went largely for the invaluable inter– national experience they would gain, for it was known _that Italy had brought on a :oumber of b-rilliant yo:ung men,, despite the f~ct _that ~in Italy fewer people fenced as an athletic sport. That tli:e British teams apparently·failed was not altogether a disappointrie~nt, having regard to the objects wh-ich ·actuated the selections made by_ the A.F.A. Mrs. Fre~man, for example, was brilliant, and lost-by the narrowest margin in the-Ladies' Individual Foils to.~the famous German fencer, Fraulein-Mayer: The British Epee team 1 in tlie round ilJ. wliie_h Great BritaJn~ fol!ght, wnquered Norway; the Sabre !earn were unlucky in their first two ~atche~ against ilie ultimate }"inners, Hungary, and another feam which reached rl)e Final. ~ < ~ -~ L.~ Gaudin, :trance, hacl outstanding successes in winning the Foil - InHividual and tge Ep~e Individual. Italy took both Team eyents in these weapons, and the Sabre In~dividual "':as won by E. V.. .Tevstiansky, Hun– gary;so the Sabre (Team and Individual) botb went to Hungary. ~There was no competition in Rugby, <Jnd in S~ccer Great Britai'n might well cry 'Ichabod'; for the Football Association would not sena a representa- tive British sicle to play footJ;>all in the months of May and Juhe. ~ The Soccer matches were, however, a g!eat success, and according to official calculations upwards of ~a quarter -a£ a- million people paid for admission. '"' _ Uruguay repeated their 1924 success by ~beating Argentine 2-,.I, while I!aly defeated~Egypt I k3 for 3rd place. ~ ~ The English Amateur Gymnastic Association suffered from la~k of a ;::