Olympic Cavalcade

198 OLYMPIC CAVALCADE The next point was to concentrate the centres of competition. The Berlin Racing Association gave permission for the use of its race-course. It was therefore possible to plan the competition iri Athletics, Fencing, Gymnastics, -Handball, Hoc;:key, Swimming, Pistol Shooting· and the Equestrian Sports at the· race-course and Sport Forum. The Exhibition · Grounds of the City of Berlin served as a second centre of competition. _The halls already erected there would be used for Wrestling, Boxing and the Art Exhibition, while-an auxiliary Cycling Track would be constructed on the grounds of the Berlin Sport Club. Attempts were made to find a suitable Regatta course in the vicinity of Ravel Lake before attention was shifted to the Grunau Course, which was finally selected for the Rowing and Miiggel Lake for theYachting. The Sport Commission for the Games, under the· Chairmanship of Dr. ])iem, mef early in 1933 to decide the commencement date and ~he programme of the Festival. - ~ Much tim~ and thouglit was then devoted to _the arrangement and balancing of the prograrn!l'!~:: T4e first plan included such sports as Football oa'r!d Tennis, but Tennis v{as later elimil)ated because the International ~'Pemiis AssoGi~tien could not agree regarding an Olympic Tournament a~d Olympic~~~ateur regulations. Polo arid Basket-ball as well as Carmeing - ~were. also _absent frem the original programme, but there was no difficulty jn including th~se at a later dat(O!. . ~ ::- ~ Incidentally, it shows the care with which the preparation of an Olympic ~ Festival must ·b_e undertaken, that the date ·of the Gam~s; 1_:-16 August, was not decided upon until weather charts-had been consulted and the investiga– tiEm of other circumstances undertaken. A sp~ial -commission f~t _slealing -witJ_l the propaganda tor the::Games -was formed, and as one val1:1able outcome of their work Olympic news:-sheets and an Olympic period-ical were issued and distributed broadcast throughout -the-world. _ _ Later, by the Reichscnanceller's decision, the Olympic lay-out,Jncluding the Maifeld, which was used for the Polo matches, was enclosed by _a wall slanting froni·a maximum height of 65 ft., above which rose the bell-tower, 247 ft: in heig~t, which w()uld announce the opening and closing of the -Gam~s. At this time the Cnief of the Defence De_partment placed not only th~-~Doberftz Barracks at~· the disposal of the Olympic Committee but undertook to erect a special Olympic Village for the athletes at the Military Training grounds north o~ the Hamburg -highway and about nine miles from the Stadium. - - - As Mr. H. M..Abrahams_has pointed out in_his Official Report of the XItli Olympiad: " - "It must be recogni{ ea that the ,distance ofthe living quartersfrom the scenes of action presented a problem, particular&' for any competitor who was engaged