ATHLETICS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1569, 12 October 1912, Page 12

ATHLETICS.

[Br "Mercuby."]

THE AWAKENING-PERHAPS. October 28—Labour Day Sports, Basin Reserve. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the Groat Sleeper—England. An issue of London "Sporting Lifo" to hand brings very satisfactory news regarding tho waking up of England over Olympic matters. It will bo remembered that some weeks ngo the cables informed us briefly that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had expressed very strong views upon the urgent necessity of a national appeal being mado whereby sufficient funds could bo raised to ensure a satisfactory English representation at tho next Games at Berlin in 1916. Tho famous novelist has propounded a scheme for the raising and disposal of this fund to the best advantage in tho furtherance of English athletics, and the "Sporting Life" now publishes his views as given in tho form of a;n interview,' some extracts from which are appended. "I Think that £25,000 is Wanted." The first question asked was as to the amount of money that would be required. The reply was: "I think ,£23,000 will be the absolute minimum. I havo gone into the matter most carefully, and what ought to be done—l will put it in a stronger form, and say what must be done—cannot be done for less." "We need two Things—Organisation and Money," How do you propose to spend this money ? "There will be a variety of ways in which tho niotaey will be expended, and, of course, it will all be most carefully controlled. What is in my mind at present is that prizes should be offered for all kinds of Stadium events at athletic meetings to as to encourage the inclusion of those events in tho sports programmes, and thus stimulate our athletes to perfect themselves in them as far as possible. I also think it will be necessary to go beyond this in the direction of organising meetings, in unearthing and bringing on mew talent, in providing trainers, in looking after tho athletes at Berlin, and in other ways that the Olympic Association may 6ee fit. That Association will do tho work all right if the public will find.the money." What do you consider is the chief need to enable us to go to Berlin with a reasonable chance of success?

"I think wo need two things—organisation and money." What about tho organisation? "It is rapidly being perfected. I think that within a week or two we shall have an excellent working arrangement on the lines I have already indicated." And what will follow?

"We shall then issue our appeal for .money," said Sir Arthur. "I can assure you that no money will bo wasted. I wish to emphasise that the Olympic Association is run on the most economical lines. It had need be, for it has had wretched support from the public. All that, however, must bo changed if we aro to do well."

Some of the oritios—the dilletanti critics—say that money ought not to enter into the question. • What is your view of sueh criticism?

/'lt is ridiculous. It ie all very well saying that it is deplorable that money should enter into it. . Such talk will not bear examination. How are we to get trainers, training quarters, and facilities, without money? And if we have not these things what chance of victory have we? You would think, to read sbraa of theso critics, that tho Britisher had only to jump off his office stool and beat the young man who is trained to a hair. When people do things thoroughly, as the Americans do, they are sneered at as semi-professionals. Such talk is preposterous. A professional is a man who makes a living by a sport, not a man who does it thoroughly. It would be as sensible to call Mr. Fry a professional because, ho does not bat by haphazard but has made a close study of it." A Striking Passage Indeed. The interviewer ventured the question as to whether it would bo advisable for England to withdraw entirely from the Games as advocated in 6oino quarters at Home. His answer was decisive;

"Well,"'said Sir Arthur, "I could understand a man eaying he was sorry they wero ever started, or I could understand his placing a term to them, but to abandon them now at this moment would be like etopping the Boer War after Colenso. I am really not sure that' it would not produce about an equally bad effect in the estimate of our national chaTacter. Of one thing you may be sure —the younger nations won't drop the Games. Australia, Canada, and Africa will be .thtfre. They are not quitters. A pretty 6gure we should cut if we abandon them, and they don't!" The Empire Team Ideal, - In reply to a query as to whether ho was in favour of the Empire team idea, the novelist was equally emphatic. "Certainly; and 1 have expressed my views on that subject. There are strong arguments for and ogainst. It is even more important from a political than from an athletic point of view that wo should have an Empire team. We must accustom the world to the idea, that we are solid, and this is a great public object lesson. I do not advocate a piebald team. At the best we could only hope for one or two Indian runners or divers who would bo good enough, but I should like to eeo them included. There is a danger in our running against each other. Suppose there were some case of fouling in a big race, and the persons concerned were British and Canadian. A lot of ill-feeling might arise."

Whether we etoter an Empire team, or one representing the United Kingdom, do you not think it imperative we should do something to ensure a better show in the field events P , "We must. We have good cause to be ashamed of what we failed to do at Stockholm. Where are out weight-putters and our hammer-throwers? I wish some of our strong working men would turn their minds to this matter. We have no one who approaches the American'standard. The hammer, the weight, the discus, the javelin—we want to unearth champions at all these. There is lots to do in four years. But I have no doubt we shall do it." The Great Novelist's Good Horse Sense. Sir Arthur has sound views upon other matters connected with the Games, as witness hie remarks auent the system of points scoring. The moral of this argument is pointed by the fr.ct that, us will be remembered, at Stockholm, Sweden was adjudged the champion athletio nation by virtue of her wins in the yacht races.

"I am strongly of opinion," he says, "that all events aro not of similar value, and a schedule should be drawn up allotting points for the different items in the programme on a scale coannealsurate with their real athletic value. I can best illustrate what I mean by referring to the recent Games. A win in the liop-step-and-jump event neutralised the win iiy Leander of the rowing championship of tho world—for that was what their victory in the final of the eights at Stockholm really was. For such an event to be balanced by a hop-step-and-jump or a standing broad jump is ridiculous, because the two are not comparable from the point of view of actual me.rit. There are other matters that need attention, but wo must make sure, first of all, that we shall send a representative team to Berlin four years hence, and that it shall bo properly prepared, and each individual member able to <lo himself justice, and lienco the public credit if the right selections are made, as I have no doubt would

be tho case." So-Will the Sleeper Wake? Thus it would appear Hint the jibes and pin-pricking policy of 4he more progressive sporting papers in England have at last stung some of those in authority into a realisation of the true inwardness of old England's Olympic debacles, and thnt at last some systematic attempt is to be made to place English athletics on their proper plivae. It is to be hoped that the realisation has penetrated deeply enough to ensure the thorough rousing of the sleeping giant, and that the working out of this groat schemo will not prove that it has just awnkened sufficiently to turn over—and doze off again.