The Olympic Games and the Duke of Westminster's Appeal

THE OLYMPIC GAM'ES. under limits very carefully defined, facilities for practice based upon the conditions actu111ly l11id down for the competitions 11t Berlin. In the spring of 1916 Test Shooting Trials·should be held, and the expen es of these Test :Matches should be defrayed. The procedure would follow closely the lines adopted in mos· 11nd 1912. After the Test Matches the composition of the t e11m would be decided upon n.nd team practice would continue until the eve of t he competitions in Berlin. To subdivide the scheme :- (a) After the selection of the team, with its reserves, proper and thorough training shall be undertaken. (b) Facilities for practice on club grounds should be provided where such encoumge– ment may be deemed necessary. THE MODERN PENTATHLON . The British Olympic Association has appointed a Committee for t he special encomagement of competitors in the Modern Pentathlon; whioht consists of th:e following, event;s : -Revol'Vd or pistol shooting_at a. whole figure deciina.I.t.wMt,,. distance 25 metres ; swimming, 300 metn&; Ine. style; fencing (epee) >; riding! across co~,· 5,000 metres ; cross-country running, 4,080 metial: The Committee consists· of tlie repreeentativee on the British Olympic. Council ot the sport!! con~ cerned, together with the officers of the -Council: The Committee is charged with the. discovery) selection, and preparation· of candidates who. a.Je a ble to show sufficient reason for·the consideration of their claims to be competitors' representing Great Britain: at the Olympic Games of Berlin in 1916 and appeals to all those who think of offering t hemselves as candidates for , inclusion in• the British Team for this event to commJJpioate with the secretary of. the British· 01:-ympio Council, 108, Victoria-street; I.london, S:W. APPENDIX B. RESULTS OF THE STOCKHOLM GAJ.l'!ES. We had three times as manypoints as tlie United In a series of articles published at intervals in States in 1908, and ,the United States had 75 perioent. the month of September, 1913, The Times gave more than: we had in 1912. No one, of 1 course, f h 1 supposes that there had l>een any sucli reversal in a survey o t e essons taught by the Stockholm ~he relative athletic competence of the two peoplea Ga.mes :- m four years. The suggestion is absurd ; alld absurd, !.-TRACK Al."IT> FIELD EVENTS. therefore, is the idea that the results were any evi- Now that the work of raising funds for the pre- dence of England's " decadence." A nation deea po.ration of British athletes for the next Olympic not " decay " with ~JI~ such rapidity. Much of the Games has been seriously taken in hand, it may be difference was d · ( o the fact• that in the former well to refresh our memories as t o just what. h11ppened year Great-Brito.in was the " home country"; and· in Stockltolm a yea-r ago. And what it is most neces- to the same fact Sweden in 1912 owed•her lea~ -from sary, in the first place, to insist on is th11t Great t hird place to first. It will not be surprising iflGer- fuitain's representatives did not do nearly as badly ~ any, whi_ch could get no higher than •sixth•plaoe as is- commonlysup),losed. We only won third place m 1908, with a total of on'ly 26 points, and, on the among the nations m the total number of ." points" same basis; fifth in 1912 with 69 points, should)head gained~Sweden being first with 133 points, the United the list in 1916, in spite of whatever may; be done ·in States next with 129, and · Great· Britain third with t he way· of formulating, a " type " pr.o~e. 76. The total of' the British Empire 11s a whole was But,after. making all allowances for, the incidental 118-; snd·we have to remember that tlie question advantage to the country in which ,the Games ,are of the whole Empire's competing as a. single " nation " held, it· is evident· that something, else is needed to at future go.mes is one of the most•important matters explain Great. Britain.'s catastrophic descent; and. to be decided. After Great Britain came Finland it is now sufficiently notorious that the. " ~ with 52 points, Germa.ny• witb 47, France· with 32, else"· in.the case. wa!I the Jacki of tra~1o.nd•bad and so on: The points were awarded on a basis of management of our men. Behind these shortoomiiaga three for·a first•plo.ce, two for a second, and one for' and in a measure justifying them, there was,of1coUl8e' a third; ___an absence-0£.-populo.r.-interest-in-Great-Britain '-in ,the Wltat made' this result· so bitter. was, of course, Ol~pic Games and 10.1disinclination to tab them the contrast with·tbe outcome of·the Go.mes •in Lon- seriously. _Now that the popular interest seems to don in 1908; when Great· Britain ·not· merely stood be awo.kemng. the important question: is,how tbia first'ia the list of'nations, but earned ·over three times lack of,training ,and bad. ,management•showed,them· as•many pomte·•a9 lier"nearest competitor;o.ndsome- selves and •who.t ground ,there isdor suPlJ08inlll;tJwt. thing ·more than the ·total ·of all •other nations cam- with proper organization ourl compaiive, lailm9 liin:ed.' The marlang at the ·Iiondon Games ·was on can ' be redeemed. tlie-bas~ 'of .five tor' a -~t, three' for a second,.and one' They showed themselves in a multitude·of'waya·IID'd fl,r, a tliird; Translatmg the 1008· reeulte mto the• from·tlie very beginning of the Games. Fewlllnaliah– !'!'D1~ · terms,· th'e lltail'~ of' tlie l~g countries men·who were in the Stadi'bm at' tb:e parade ol' tlie- 19 Bhown·from tlie fblfowmg table, adapted from th'e· competitors· of all ' nations- with wliioh tJie,· Gauma: -Ofllcial Report· of the' British Olympic Council~- opened'C!ln ·h'ave failed to \je liumiliated 'amhleprellld Nation. l 1908 1012.' l:iy the sliowing which the British' contingeat IDIM»' · ·r beside th'e representatives • of ' th'e- ·other · ~ Great Bri~, .. I 446 111 Amnat.io~, In cdomg_aris?f_: ~d·th the~-~ United, SW,ee . . ·j 163 195 enoam•an t..., sp"'°di 1·-~~mi_e· of the , S1"den, . . 67 20,7 ~a:.a~~~~~~\a~~:11for~C,=- .'l'Jle totM'1>9intil for 'the··wbole Games•were in 1908' it con~ed 1so many, fine mep., looke<hbambllitg_·aml- 888; ,.&lld 'in:· 11>12-9·1s•; '· so'that·Great·Britain~ having disorderly: H' wM'· t~itial i of ·th'e'' wliole ~ wori:·over··60· per ·~nt. of the total·points.iit 1908: and 1ofl'the•way •in·wlmili Grea.,' Briiaiu; .the ~ could'get' but· little more ·than 12 per· cent. in ·1912. of·tlte worlcl 1 in sports: has com~to ·l#e warsted'tiyhir 3-Z