Olympic Cavalcade

OLYMPIC CAVALCADE Sweden's team of 90 received 5000 kronor from the government and duplicated the sum by public subscription. The French had 3000 francs from the government and the City of Paris. Norway put up 3000 kroner, and for the Austrian team of 29 Vienna ccmtributed rooo kronen, while the German Government ·put up 12,000 marks (and more was added by subscription), but it is significant that 19 men on the German team paid their own expenses. That was all very lavish for those days; but great credit was due to the Greek Committee for contributing liberally to the Committees of the nations which sent competitors to Athens in 1906. It has been noted that St. Louis was ilie first Games in which black men took part, so far as I can ascertain. It is true to ·say also th<1t the Hellenic Festival was the first at which women appeared in any participating capacity whatsoever. The Gymnasti~ part of the programme, taken part in by teams from Denmark; France_, Germany, Italy, Norway and Sweden, included a display by DaJ:!ish women. They had been invited by the King of Greece and were his guests at the Royal Palace. But whatev~r .the other nations were doing the early years of the twentieth century were still the days of great Britishers in sport. In Ireland Peter O'Connor and Con Leahy had just reached the zenith of their jumping fame; in Scotland the late Lieut. Wyndhatn Halswell was at the peak of his running form and had already that year, on 31 March at Tynecastle Park, Edinburgh;-carried off, in the space of a single afternoon, n0 less than four Scottish National -Titles, the 100 yards in 10·4 secs.; the 220 yards in 23·2 _secs.; the 440 y;uds in 51'4 se_cs. and the 88o yard~ in 2 mins. o·4 secs. England, too, had a perfect plethora of sporting talent; airgreatly inspired by W. H. Grenfel_l, who lat_er was to become .Lord Desborough. The things that !llan-had don~ already were sufficient to vitalize anyone. An Harrovian and a Blue for both~rowing and athletic sat Oxford, he was a great friend to the Games anti a. most unselfish and unspoilt champion, ~espite his many successes. Versatility in ~ports and games and in well-nigh every form of first– class contest; combined witli phy,sic?l strength, endurance and chivalry, were th~ very hallmarks of the man. Be was President_of the Royal Life Saying Society -and Captain of the F en~ing T earn whjch went to Athens. He bow1ed with success in the Harrow XI of 1873 and 1.874;·was President -of both the O.U.A.C. and O.U._!3.C., Master _of the Oxford Univer:sityDrag _ Hounds, won the amateur punting championship and retired unbeaten aTter three years. _ - - He stroked an Eight across the Channel, and was the only p-lan who has rowed f9r the Grand. Challenge while a ¥ember of the House of Commons. Within the space of ·a we~k; du~ing one long vacation, he di~bed .the L.ittle Matterhorn, the Matterhorn~ -Monte Rosa a_nd tlie Weisshorn, ascending the Matterhorn three times by different routes. Between 1904 ~nd 1906 he won