Sport In Europe and N.Z. Compared

Chronicle (Levin), 8 January 1948, Page 7

Sport In Europe and N.Z. Compared

GENERALLY speaking people in New Zealand are less physically conscious than people in Europe where sport- is more highly organised through generous Government support. THIS is the opinion of a new arrival in thi's eountry, Mrs. J. Bellwood, whose widq Continental experience shquld serve as a valuahle impetus to the field of physical education in this eountry.

/\N attractive bloride Esthonian, 31 years-old Mrs. Bellwood fnee Emmy Tokke) has played a big part in gymnastics in her own eountry. Recently she was appointed assistant lecturer in Physical Education at Otago Univejjsity. When Mrs. Bellwood met her New Zealand liusband, Mr. Jim Bellwood, at an international gymnastic festival in Sweden aboutnine months ago she could barely converse in English. She was also very igrlorant of conditions in New Zealand, aiid when her husband

MRS. BELLWOOD — Seen in a good action shot in lower picture. suggested taking her to this eountry she asked him whether the snakes were dangerous in the jungles! After being taken a prisoner in Greece, Mr. Jim Bellwood took his diploma in physical education at Loughborough College, England, and since his return to New Zealand has been on the staff of the Physical Welfare Department. In appearance Mrs. Bellwood is a walking advertisement for her profession — such is the quality of her movement. Her development is proof that the modern school of Continental gymnastics does not result in the over-muscular development so frequently associated with this sport. Mrs. Bellwood explained' that Continental gymnastics was based on free standing exercises and ag'iifty nfat work; not on the "old style apparatus work with parallel bars, horizontal bars and rings, which tend to produce abnormal development of the shoulders and arms to the detriment of the harmonious building eup' of the whole body. The old style gymnastics used for many years in New Zealand schools Is the German style but the Swedish style employing ladders. rope? and beams is considered superior. But Esthonia was anxious to experiment with the best systems in all countries and to synthesise a new physical education of her own. In this Mrs. Bellwood played a prominent part.

With training and experience in Finland, Germany, Russia and Sweden, Mrs. Bellwood had a remarkable career" as a leader of Esthonian physical education, lec-, turing and training teachers for! the Esthonian Gymnastic Institute at Tallin. A graduate of physical education at the University of Tartu, she was later in charge of the broadcasting of gymnastics for Esthonian and a leader in national folk dancing. During the war Esthonia was over-run by the Germans and then the Russians but Mrs. Bellwood was among the 60,000 from her eountry who managed to escape to find sanctuary in Sweden although for a time she lived under the Russian occupation. CONDITIONS COMPARED . • Comparing conditions in sport on the Continent with New Zealand, Mrs. Bellwood said that it appeared that sports do not flourish here unless they are spectacular. On the other hand, Governments of Continental countries were prepared- heavily to subsidise all sports. In Sweden for instance, the Sports Federation with -branches for all games had more than 600,000 members. Gymnasts totalling

290,000 comprised the largest group, the next largest being athletes, football and skiers.

A big percentage of the revenue i for sport was derived from j national lotteries and. football | pcols. Every venture was heavily j subsidise-d. Spec-ial •training schools j were provided with swimming j pools, athletic einder tracks and j every facility. j Medicai Backing • j Sports bodies were closely associated with the medieal profession. The Gymnastic Institute in Stockholm near an Olympic stadium was combined with a huge physiological research laboratory. Three doctors j were employed full- time carrying : out tests on athletes in regard to diet and training. j Sports were so linked up with the . j medicai profession that they could I be backed' up with authority. I Official propaganda pamphlets were circularised widely and permeated all strata of society. Special courses of gymnastics were given for housewives and to factory employees. It had been found that .production had increased by allowing time off for recreation. On the other hand Russia carrie'd ■her organisation of sport to unwelcome extremes. Speaking of the preparation for the annual Youth Parade in Moscow in 1941, Mrs. Bellwood said that an official visited Esthonia and ordered the preparation of a five minutes programme of natidnal folk dancing. For this short performance members of the dancing team had to leave work for a month's intensive training. Impressions of N.Z. Regarding her impressions of New Zealand, Mrs. Bellwood said she 'disagreed with other visitors who continually said the people generally were badly dressed. She yhad not been in any other eountry where the average standard of dressing was higher. There were other parts of the world where a small section dressed smartly and the rest of the population were drably and shod'dily clothed. Mrs. Bellwood hopes now that she has made her home in the South Island to renew her aequaintanceship with skf-ing- — a popular sport in her own eountry.