Huge Task Involved In Organising Olympic Games

Chronicle (Levin), 30 March 1948, Page 4

Huge Task Involved In Organising Olympic Games

LONDON (Airmail) . " , Organising the Olympie Games, which were last held in London in 1908, is a prodigjotts business-. The bigger part of them will this year take place' at Wembley either in the great F.mpire Stadium or in its adjacent buildings. In the stadium itself we shall see the athletics, f ootball, nockey and equestrian jumping, and elsewhere in the grounds the boxing, fencing, gymnastics and swimming.

Now Wembley normally doeSn't'r have an athletics track. There was one when the stadium was first built, but this has long since given way tq the more productive coUrse for greyhound racing. A few years ago it would have. been thought impossible to lay ! down a- rUnning track that would come up tq international standard in less than six months . before :it was due to be_ used: ';^But Wembfey's iresident erigineer has been experimenting for a long time" With new matefials and now proposes to take up the turf on which the dogs run and lay down a cinder track for the athletes all in the space of three weeks. The f oundations of the original track, of course, are still there. and they will help very much in allowing the ndw one^.to settle down. After the ' Games are over, the workmen will be hard at it again felaying the greyhouhd course, for Which special turf is being tended in the- country. • • In'the 15 days of the Games at Wembley there will,. it is ekpected, be a million and a-half spectators. Clearing up after them . is no simple' matter. "^When the EngliSh Cup final "has been played there each year, It usually takes two Weeks to 'dispose of all the litter In

an incinerator; during the Games it will be necessary to do this twice, and- sometimes three times, a day. - Catering is another enormous problem. Two of three times a day, The "many refresbment *bars wSU\ hafe td- be cleared of empties 'and " replenished. Let Us take just one day as an ekample. On Friday, AugUst 13 — it lOoks like an unlucky day for ihe Stadium staff — there will * be an event in the morning, after Which the enclosure will have to be cleared and reopened for , f ootball at 2. p.m. . There will be another ' f ootball match in the eVenirig at 6.30, and in between the , ground must be cleared again, the -bars replenished , and turnstil.e men attd steWards given a break before the reopening Of the gates. .All this takes no account . of the work to be 'done by the staff in connection with the boxing and fencing Which will be going on simultaneously inside the grounds (fortunately the swimming wifl be oVer by AUgttsi 7) . in addition the Wembley organisation is not only handling the distribution of its' town tickets, but those- for Herne Hiil (cycling), Henley (rowing), Bisiey (snboting) , Aldershot (equestrian events) and other venues.