The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-07-23
OLYMPIC PROGRAMMES.


In commenting upon the Olympic
Games. both before their holding and
after their ending, The Tribune has
urged more than once that these games
should be conducted. not under the
local rules OF any nation or of any
athletic authority, club or associa-
tion; but that they should be con
Quoted under rules Of their own,
entirely separate from any local pref
erences, regulations or peculiar events
that are favorites OF any people !;
but the Olympic Games belong under
rules that are general in their scope
and competitions. Every succeeding
auadrennial of these games makes 1t
more evident that the Olympic Games
will have 10 be conducted under rules
Of their own. with definite events
scheduled and competed for, under
specified conditions and stated regula-
tious, and all merely local OF favorite
contests Of any special people ehmi-
mated until or unless they can be
fairly included in the general compe-
| titions.
At the end Of the Olympic Games
| in London four wears ago il was made
absolutely apparent 10 every one, so
il seemed TO us, that the contests
would have TO be conducted under
rules Of their own, where competitors
| from all nations would meet on equal
terms. In the London contests there
were special rules imposed by local
athletic authority which put those un.
familiar with them at disadvantage.
Tho same has occurred this year In
Stockholm, not In the same way as
] these hindranees were made manifest
in London. but by the introduction
of special contests well prepared for in
Sweden, but in which the athletes of
other countries have no skill and have
had no training.
We are glad to see that Commits
sioner Sullivan Of the American team
has arrived at precisely the same con
,clusion which we put forward four
years ago. He dwells particularly upon
the uufairness of the acquisition Of
points by Swedish athletes through the
introduction of contests unprepared
for by other athletes, and which
gave Sweden large numbers Of points
TO which, on a true Olympic basis, she
was BY no means entitled. For
| instance saws Commissioner Sulh-
van. "Sweden now has more points
than the United States. aud this is
all nonsense when tho programme
states that the opening and closing of
the Olympic Games are for contests in
| the stadium only, and not for yacht
| ing. riding and what not In the
regular athletic programme we tri-
umphcd overwhelmingly. But what
does IL avail 10 triumph in the
regular contests when side contests
are brought in such as are spoken OF
by Commissioner Sullivan, to give the
local athletes advantage and points
over all other nationsl The Swedes
had these advantages this year by
virtue of side contests; the English
had them four years ago by reason OF
| technical rules.
But it is manifest that in world
competition like this everything should
be on a world basis. and competitors
should not be put at the disadvantage,
either OF local. technical rules which
they arc liable unwittingly to violate
10 the loss of their standing, or
through the introduction or local con.
tests for which they have no notice
and arc not prepared.
| Commissioner Sullivan saws that
within two years an international ath-
letic committee viii meet in Paris, aud
that this must formulate standard
OF cvcnts for the Olympic Games,
thu. doing away with liberty TO the
country in which the meeting is held
90 enter events which other nations do
not compete 10. and allowing the run
nIuE 40 Of an enormous number OF
points which should not be eonsidered
ths olympic Games A. all. To which. OF
course. must be added BY that commit.
tee the PRONUNCIATION Of general rule.
which viii take the place Of all special
or local rules or regulations of any
eountry. city, or place where the
Olympic Games arc held. and will e1.
clusively govern the Olympic contests.
/ Whcn this Paris International commit.
tee puts tho Olympic Games on this
general besis. NC shall s1Peet the