OLYMPIC GAMES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1494, 17 July 1912, Page 7

OLYMPIC GAMES.

AUSTRALIAN SUCCESS.

COLONIALS WIN THE TEAMS SWIMMING RACE. STADIUM EVENTS OYER. By Telegraph—Press Aesociation-Copyriirht (Rec. July 17, 0.15 a.m.) Stockholm, July 16. Australia won the final of the teams' swim in Grain. 11 Msec., America being second in ■Gmin. 20 Msec, and Britain third in Gmin. 28 IMsec. Hcaly (New South Wales) in the team swim made a dead heat with MacGillivray (America) in theh iirst 200 metres. Champion (New Zealand) made ten yards in'the second 2tlo metres, and Boardman (New South 'Wales), increased the lead tfl twenty. Then Hnrdwick (New South Wales) had to fight Kauahinoku (Honolulu), against whom ho lost in the first 100 metres, but recovered in the final 100 metres with a spurt, confirming tho opinion that. Kanalimoku is not dangerous beyond 130 metres. Thorpe won tho Decathlon, two Swedes coming 'second and third. The 8000 metres cross-country race was won by H. Kohlhmaimen (Finland) in 45min. Usee. Two Swedes came second and third. ' Sweden won the team race in connection with this event, with Finland second and Britain third. America won tho 1600 metres relay, with France second and Britain third. The contests in the Stadium have nowconcluded. The points stand as follow:—

America 128 British EmpireGreat Britain , 6G South Africa ; 1G Australia 13 Canada 13 - 108 Swedon ■ 104 Finland ID Germany 31 America has scored 85 points in tho track and field events, Finland 20 points, Sweden 2" [Mints, and England 15 points. Lieutenant Lawrence, of the 18th Hussars, was thrown into a ditch in the horse-riding competition, sustaining concussion of the brain. Ho is now recovering. The 400 metres ladies"teams' swim was won by Britain. The Australasian reprcsentativos did not start. Lozaro, a Portuguese competitor in the Marathon race, is dead.

"THE RUIN OF BRITISH SPORT." Tho victories of the American men at tho Olympic Games lend more than a passing interest to the. following- comments of a writer in the "Athletic News" of June 3, to hand by this week's ir.ail. "Handicaps and their profusion, the lack of competition on level terms," the "News" declares, "are simply ruining English sport. Our visitors see it ,at a glance, and tell us their opinion; yet littlo is done to improve matters. I would much sooner see a dozen young runners making really good sport in a level mile, or oven''hundred' with moderate time, than a field of eighty or ninety competing in a mile done in 4min. 7sec, with the scratch athloto sot an,, fitter impossibility and the raoe'nt the mercy of one man. Until such timo as there is greater competition on level terms, or something like level terms, more club contests—dare I say a series of international contests.?— we shall stick in the same old groove. "The lack of open handicaps, the plethora, of scratch races, the abundance of inter-club and inter-collego events, keen competition on level terms, and above all things the .sensible development of the fit and promising, have mad© America a great nntion-'of athletes, and .if we are not deteriorating in this :country wo are certainly not making process. "Everybody knows our Olympic team has been chosen, but nobody knows what is really being done to extract the best out of all tho men. Some of them aro being left to their, own resources; they •may ho running stale for all that is officially .known of them. They will reach Stockholm a few days bffore -tho Olympiad, and they will competo at a general disadvantage against men of all nations, who will havo'lots of time wherein to get fit,. What earthly chance can they have under a system which is bad from tho germ to tho entire development? "I do not Wish to write as a/pessimist at all. firmly that wo have as good- material in tho country as.e\er we had, but' I am positive: it is not being properly developed. Tho old stylo will not do; for what should Ik? tho obsolete wo must substitute- something more up to date. .... , . "And after all handicaps place a premium upon merit. How. n.any lads win more than two or three'such races? They get soured,' and instead of persevering they givo in. probably before we really saw. their finest form. There aro no divisional handicaps for thein.. It is a pity."