Olympic Cavalcade

AMSTERDAM, 1928 I )9 training grant for the 1928 Games, nor could much be raised in the way of subscriptions owing to lack of public interest in gymnastics in Great Britain. The team we gathered, however, from Burnham, Bolton, London, Swansea arid Yorkshire, did its best, but was outclassed by the gymnasts from countries in which ,compei:itive gymnastics are popular. Switzerland, . whose gymnasts were really wonderful, took the Team competition, in which Great Britain wa_s 11th; Miez, Switzerland, the Individual competition. These were the first Olympic Games· at which competition . for teams of women gymnasts was included, although there had been excellent demon– strations at previous Celebrations of the Games. Only five nations competed, teams of ten per nation being allowed. Holland gained the 1st award with Italy 2nd, followed by Great Britain, ·who defeated Hungary and Franee. /- The following is a summary of the gymnastic competitions in 1928: - Team competition Horizontal Bar Parallel Bars. · Jumps Women's Team Competition Switzerland. Switzerland. ~ - Czechqslovakla. Switzerland. Holland. · - ~ - _. Hockey in May produced the largest attendance at spectators on record, and on 26 May upwards of )o,ooo people were present to witness the Final between India and the Dutch National team. 1ndia beat Holland 3-o, and in the match_ for vd place Germany" defeated Belgium, also 3-o. The Indian team, brought over by Colonel Bruce Turnbull, Chairman Indian Hockey Federation and European Committee, was quite outstanding, and it was predicted that many Olympiads would pass before India lost her laurels, which was indeed proved at Los AngeJes, 1932, and Berlin in 1936, although_ by that time both Japan and Germanywere making great forward strides. Lacrosse, which had been demonstrated in London in 1998, when. Canada beat Great Britain by. 14 goals to 10, was again demonstrated at Amsterdam, the Dutch Olympic Committee in 1'926 having given permission to the Canadian authorities to stage the game as a demonstration in 1928. . Canada invited Great J3ritain and the U.S.A. to send teams to participate m the demonstration, and both countries accepting, a _triangular contest became necessary. ·There was, however, the difficulty that all three nations played according to slightly divergent rules, but this difficulty, which-was tnamly on~ of substirutiQn, was overcome. Canada and the U.S.A. relied upon their champion clubs, but Great Britain sel.ecfed their team from all over the country. · . _ In the first game, on )_August,·the Canadians were not at their best, and somewhat Handicapped by th_e robust tactics of the_Ameriqms, :who won 6-:3· The next game, in which the U.S.A. were leading at half time, finished Wlth a vict9ry for Great Britain by 7 goals to 6. So that the final game Was between ·Canada and Great Britain, which Canada w<?_n by.9 goals to 5.