The Olympic Games and the Duke of Westminster's Appeal

20 THE OLY ~f.PIC GAMES. Billiards Australia Swimming America and Australia Rugby Football S. Africa and N. Zealand Lacrosse Canada Trotting Horse America Running Horse America Horse Jumping France and Russia F encing . . F rance Shooting (King's P rize) Canada Skating. . . . . . Sweden Athletics (100 yds.) America and S. Africa (220 yds.) . . America (440 yds.) . . America (880 yds. ) .. Amex·ica. :, Hurdles ( 120 ·"-i yds.) America \ • · . " ,, High Jwnp . . America ·:, '·~ · \ ' ~· ' ,, Pole Jwnp .. America ·.;.., ·. ~:· · ~~ Putting the Weight . . America r•, 'V>} 1J4.._, Throwing the Ha=er America ."?'.-~ ·-:./ ... .· "This ·s- 1\ tale <if national disaster. I~~~ ild to do nothing to recover her ancient supremacy a the mother of sport ? "Mr, Ji'rederic Harrison is too good a sportsman to wish 'to ' crab ' the national o.ppeo.l for £100,000 which is to provide the sinews of war, and I offer h im a bet that his own subs09iption will not be among the last." ·It is interesting to note t hat subsequently, on October 1, another letter from Mr. Harri on, addressed personally to t he Duke, was published, in which he enclosed a subscription and acknow· !edged that the Duke had won the bet ! l n a further letter to The T imes (October 14) Mr. H arrison insisted that the prospects of the fund would he improved if the 8pccia.l Committee would announce that after 1916 there would be n o more British competition at the Games. l\1r. Studd, however, promptly pointed out (October 15) that the Special Committee had no power to make any such announcement. They were appointed solely for the purpose of preparing for t h e Games of 1916. He added at the same time that one reason why he had accepted the position of Chair· man was t-he hope that, if successful, the work of the Committee would enable 'Great Britain to retire from later Olympic contests without loss of honour or, prestige, should she so desire. FROM SIR A. CONAN DOYLE. Together with the Duke's rep!Y- to Mr. H arrison --------a=pjieareo also a letter from S.ir A. Conan Doyle. He said:- " I have read with great interest Mr. Frederic Harrison's Jetter upon the Olympic Games. In common with all the world, I have the utmost respect for Mr. Harrison's character and opinions, but I have hopes that there are som.e aspects of this matter which have escaped his attention or upon which he has been incompletely informed. "In the first place, it is admitted by the Appeal Committee that a hundred thousand pounds is a very ~e sum, but it is clearly stated that only a portion of 1t should be allocated to the Olympic Games, and that the fund shall be a nucleus for some such system of universal physical education as would be entirely outside the strictures which Mr. Harrison makes. Such a scheme; with its necessary provision of gymnasia IUld playing fields for the poor, must, I am -, have his approval It is impossible at this early stage to give exact figures, but certainly a good proportion of the fund would be spent in such a fashion. " Let us now come down to the balance which is expended upon the preparation for the Games them· selves. M:r. Harrison implies in his letter ·that the British t eam would number a.bout a hundred. Three times this estimate would be nearer the mark. He must remember that besides the single events there a.re many t eam competitions, football, gymnastics, physica l exercises, hockey, rifle and cll\y-pigeon shooting, rowing, &c. If we make a full entry we must be prepared to look after at least 300 men. l\fr. Harrison would admit that these men, who repre· sent their country, should not have the burden of t heir expenses laid upon their own shoulders. They have to be conveyed to Berlin and back, and they have to b e comfortably housed and carefully fed at a time of inflated prices. The sum will not be less t han seven or eight thousand pounds for this item alone. !:[ow cloes l\Ir. _HJl,rrison_ p.!QQ~e J;,o .r..aise_this,------!-– -save oy nat ional ap pea l ? Can he suggest any ot,her course ? "llfr. Harrison in discussing the genera.I question of preparation for the Games draws o. dismal picture of · an army of professional coaches " over-running the country, and of the likely youths being drafted away and maintained by the nation during the long period of training and preparation. I am convinced t hat t hose who have the management of the Games in hand would reprobate such a programme as heart ily as llfr. H arrison does, and that a ll his fears upon t his head will prove to be baseless. The army of coaches does not o.nd never will exist. The new developments will to.ke the form of providing practice grounds where none now exist (in all London how many places are t here where ~ man could practise throwing a. ho.nuner ?), ~p. 1 providing places for winter practice, in provii'rini · the impedimenta. of sport for those who cannot procure them, and, finally, in encouraging every form of sport t o adapt its conditions or distances t o those which obtain at the Olympic Go.mes. This can only be done by offering special medals or prizes to be competed for at those dis– tances. It may seem that no great expense is invoh·ed in these d eveloprnents. Pe1·ha.ps not in any single case. But the Olympic Fund will have to m eet demands from every part of Great Britain and Ireland, each legitimate in itself, and together making up a. considerable sum. ~, " Let us for a moment trace the evolution of that novice concerning whom Mr. Harrison has such misgivings. He is probably unearthed at one of the special novices' competitions which give him a chance where he will not be overshadowed by some crack. He would _then be watched a.nd- reported----- --– upon by the officials of his amateur b'ody, which must be affiliated to the Amateur Athletic Association of his country. If he continued to make good he would probably be inspected and advised by the professional co&ch of his district-one, perhaps, of half a dozen in the country. He would advise the youngster as to form, precisely as an amateur cricketer has always- been advised by a professional. If he continued to make progress and made good his claim to represent the country in an Olympic event he would train at the last, as a 'Va.rsity Blue trains for the Boat Race, and he would have the advice of the best · professional that could be found. At no time save perhaps for the final weeks would his ordinary work in the world be interfered with, and at no time at all could any direct or indirect remuneration be given to him. What is there in all this which can justify Mr. Frederic Harrison in his lurid picture of athletic degeneration ? "If Mr. Harrison's contention was that we should