The Olympic Games and the Duke of Westminster's Appeal

1.'HE OLYMPIC GAMES. 0 seemed too uig and unwieldy to be ,1ble to furnish formed to organize, at short notice, the Games of the prompt ,1,nd energetic management which t he 1908, when " it was felt to be essential that the control of the Olympic ::dl'airs demandctl. Rightly body which undertook that organization shoulrl_be or wrongly, the athletic ::incl sporting public, in so constituted as to include at least one represen- spite of the u niversally high regard in which the tative of every sport which could possibly find . a chairman, Lord Desborough, ::is well as many of his place in the Olympic Games. It was the only individu::il associates, was held, h::id lost confidence possible method by which ::i due regard for the in the Council. The d issatisfaction found utter- interest of all sports could be secured and the ::ince in ::in article which appe,u-cd in 'l'he 'l.'imes efficient carry ing out of the competitions in on J ::inuar_y 16, Hll2, the immediate cause which all sports could he guarnnteed." The British prompted it being the qwirrel t hen in progress Olympic Council, Lord Desborough said, " has between the Football Association and the Amateur never been , and h::is never cla imed to be, a universal Football Association, which threatened to result governing body of Bl'itish . port," but " is nothing (as it did result ) in om being represented at St,ock- more than a Parliament of sport." holm by a football tcmn from which at least half This w::is, in effect, what the opponents of the our best men would be, as they were, excluded. Council contended. That it was th proper form The :ituation in football was taken, as may be for it to t ake in view of the specific objects for seen from the quotation below, as symptomatic of which it was formed (viz., the organization of the the general constitutional inability of the Council Games of 1908) is doubtless true. That, as a to secure our effective representation at the Games. " Parliament of sport," it h ad and will always have useful and important functions may be " THE TIMES " AND THE COUNCIL. agreed on all hands. Everybody may have a great On J anuary 16, 1912, The Times said:- respect for the individual members which compose " Preparations to secure the proper representation of it. But some smaller, more energetic, and more England in the Olympic Games, which will bo held in alert body was necessary to arouse public senti- Stockholm next July, should by now be far advanced ment and to take hold of the organizing for the towards comgletion, but the British Olympic Council, Games of 1912 in a thorough and efficient way. which meets to-day, is torn by internal dissension, Writers in Tlte 'l'imes urged Lord Desborough and which hus caused much uneasy apprehension for some the Olympic Council to anticipate any pressure from time in the minds of the sporting public. The the outside and themselves to take in hand the murmurings of discontent have lately found very candid expression in the Press, and the time has come formation of such a new body. when public opinion must be enforced. There are many who are on principle opposed to international NEED OF A SMALLER COMMITTEE. contests of all kinds os productive of dangerous fric- tion and misunderstanding. There is unfortunately On January 25, 1912, The Times said:- much reason in such an attitude, and it is doubly "If the Council is not now, and cannot be made, fit justified if our credit as sportsmen and players of to do what the public has supposed that it was created games is not bravely upheld by representative corn- to do, some other body must be formed to do it ; petitors in each class. '.rhere is at present a deadlock and hero comes in the proposal of a smaller committee between the Amateur Football Association and the framed ob some such lines as have been indicated. Football Association which could not possibly occur if The wonder is that the members of the British ·the control and management of the Olympic Games Olympic Council do not compete for the honour of were in competent hands. There are many institu- being the first to propose that Lord Desborough take tions in England which, although quite illogical in the formation of such a committee in hand. The theory, work extremely well, and where J:>ractice is Council might, from its present membership, associate satisfectory there is no need to quarrel with theory. with him anybody else it pleased, with instructions The constitution of the Olympic Council is quite that they should call to their assistance such others anomalous, and it is difficult to realize how such an from outside os they might see fit, to form a committee --H------Unwieldy._body-can-have-come-into-existence.. -"-----n£;-perhaps;-not-nrore- than- seven members, :vh"Os~e--------- Th business it should be to see that Great Brite.in was en followed an outline of the difficulties in regard properly represented at the Olympic Games. There to the two football associations, concluding with a 1s no lack of men worthy, some of whom at least would reference to the control of the fund of " some be willing, to act on such a body ; the names come £6,000 " remaining in the hands of the Council twnbling over each other as soon as one stops to think of them. Such a committee would not, of course, from the Games of 1908. concern itself with the actual work of selectin~ teams The article provoked rejoinder from officers and or representatives ; nor need it be invested with any power to do so. But, under a ~neral mandate to members of the Council, and a controversy raged see that Great Britain was not rmsrepresented or dis- in the columns of Tlw TimeB, which, being ta.ken up graced, it would, quarrels or no quarrels, quickly b th p t l ed f · find a way to carry out its mission, and to set a prece- y e ress a a.rge, serv to oous attention dent which would make a repetition of the like trouble on the Council and its management of our"Olympic in any future Olympiad impossible. The public affairs. Nothing would be gained by going into would uphold it and rejoice. Lord Desborough is, th d tails f tha. Lord Des most appropria¥'1Y, at the head of an organization e e O t controversy now. - which is char~ed with a task of national importance; borough (in a lett.er published in The TimeB on for it is of national importance that Great Britain, the January 18, 1912) in defence of the British Olympic mother of sports in the modem world, should show Council, expJained how the Council ea.me to be that she sympathizes, and sympathizes aa a unit, with