OLYMPIC VILLAGE

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 149, 27 June 1933, Page 9

OLYMPIC VILLAGE

UNITY AND HARMONY

A glimpse of life in the Olympic Village,, built' specially to,house the.male athletes, and officials who took part in the Olympic Games at Los Angeles last year, is given in the pages of his report by the manager of the New Zealand team (Mr. P.\Ns Rundle), of Dunedin. . Five hundred huts were built, and the whole setting; with the lawns, palm trees, and beds of bright flowers'; was most attractive. On. the walls of tho lounge in the administration block was written a message,, which. sounded, a note expressing the spirit, of the Games. It was as fol-lows:-—"The important thing in the Olympic' Games is not to win, but to take part. The important thing in lite is not the triumph, but the struggle; the ,essen L ■ tial thing is not to have conquered, but to '. have fought well. To spread these precepts is to build a stronger and more valiant and, above all,'1 a more scrupulous and more generous humanity." ' "It was, perhaps, the first time in history, so to speak, that so many men of different races and "languages have 'lived happily^under- one roof," says Mr. Rundle. "It was a village of human beings, not dif- . ferent nationalises. Here were men with various kindsof backgrounds, experiences, education, and training', with widely diverging, opinions on, religion, politics, and life in general, getting along like"'a big family with the utmost-unity and harmony. # "The■ village1 was a model of organisa- ! tion and forethought. In addition lo the ' comfortable huts, the village contained a completely-equipped hospital with a staff of doctors, a dental surgery/n. post office, a fire-fighting;plant, and an amateur radio : station where messages could be sent free : of charge io any part of, the civiltae'd ' world. - Each nation provided its owu : cook, the food being without stint and of the best. During the period of the Games, , v movietone picture show was also in- ' stalled in the village/and it was here that '' nthletes passed many entertaining evenings." ' '