The San Francisco call., 1913-07-20
FUTURE OF SPORTS
IN AMATEU UR LINE
WILL Be DECIDED
Outcome of Meeting of ANA
teur Athletic Federation in
Berlin Will Have Deep
Bearing on Games
BY WILLIAM UNMACK

ing on the future of the worlds Olym-
| pic games championships, and espe-
cially on the Interpretation of What is
| an amateur?
Every country in the world will be
represented at this meeting Of the fed
GRAFTON. the Amateur Athletic union OF
| the United States having delegated
James E. Sullivan to appear and place
| several suggestions of the union be-
| fore the international board.
/ There are two great and important
| questions to be settled at this meeting:
/ First the amateur, and secondly, a
| world standardiza tion of various games
| and athletic events.
! The amateur question has been
| brought forward for years and an in
| depreciation of what an amateur is has
| not yet been found that was agreeable
| to all countries concerned. The various
ideas of the different countries on the
| amateur during the last years have
more or less been gradually coming to
a common basic definition, and 1T looks
as though the time is now ripe for the
framing of a rule which will explicitly
define what constitutes an amateur
SEEKING A DEFINITION
+! The various countries of the world
have slowly but surely been drifting
| along the same channels on the defini-
ton of the lilly white" America.
/ England, GERMANY France, Sweden and
other countries all have their various
opinions on the question, and there are
slight differences on the Interpretation
of the amateur rule in all of these
! countries.
At that however. the fundamental
principle is the same, namely that an
amateur can not take money. Some
countries, however. will not allow men
in certain kinds of manual labor occu-
pationS to be called amateurs, while
| in this country we take the broader
view of the question and allow any
man to take out his amateur card who
can satisfy the registration committee
| that he has never been paid for his
| services. or has in any way received
/ any remuneration as an athlete.
! The findings of the federation on
| the amateur question will be awaited
| with interest by the whole world and
on their recommendations will depend
the Standardization of the rule for the
entire world If this federation can
come to a mutual understanding on
/ the question their decision will be ac-
cepted officially by the Olympic games
committee for the 1915 games at Berlin
and every other games. 1t will mean
that an amateur in every country OF
the world will be defined by the same
| rule, instead of by the various rules
| now in force in the various countries.
STANDARDIZATION DESIRED
The Standardization of the Olympic
games program is something that should
and will appeal to sport lovers the world
over 1t will mean that every country
will get IAN even break" 1t will pre-
vent any one country which is holding
the worlds championships from putting
ON certain forms of athletics or games
to suit. the particular conditions or
! whims of that particular country. To
the country looking for the square deal
| in athletics this standardization" will
come as a blessing.
In the past. countries holding Olym-
/ piads have been too much alive to the
fact that they had certain kinds of
| sports which foreign countries could
not compete in. and this naturally gave
the country holding the games decid-
| ed advantage in running up high scores
and winning the meet.
Every country at the meeting next
| month will submit what it considers
! should be the regular events on an
| lOlympiad program by which the world s
| championship should be decided James
T. Sullivan has drawn up a program
of events which the A. A. u. has sane
toned to he placed before the meeting
as this countrys ideas on this standard
zation.
DIFFERENT IDEAS NATURAL
It is natural that every country will
| have different ideas on this program
! business but with a set of intelligent
men all working for world peace and
| harmony in the world athletically and
! otherwise. it is not expected that a
/ very serious hitch will occur in deter
! mining what events shall constitute
! the international program of events.
/ America win request that in the hur-
dies for instance. the standard events
be 10 meters and 220 meters. On
| this point there is liable to be dis
| cussion, for the reason that the Euro
pean countries. for the most part, run
10 and 400 meter hurdles. England,
/ in particular. always runs 440 yard
low hurdle event. and 1t is quite nat
! ural that John Bull will come forward
with recommendation that the stand
ards for the hurdles be 110 and 400
meters
This is just one instance of where
slight differences of opinion will crop
up but with the general good feeling
now existing among the countries of
! the world participating in the big
| games such trif1ing. differences will be
easily overcome. 1t will be a case of
/ give and take on certain points by all
4 countries concerned. and with all
/ countries ready to give way a little
1t looks as though the world in general
will very soon be using the same
events not only in Olympiads. but in
| their own countries championships.
PROGRAM TO BE SUBMITTED
The tentative program to be sub
| mitted by America at the meeting fol-
lows:
Track events-100, 200, 400, 500, 1, 5Oo
| 5000, 5000. $4,000 meter runs; 10 and
| 220 meter hurdle races, cross country
| races, $500 meter steeplechase with
fixed brush hurdles and at least one
| water jump; cross country run of at
least 10000 meters; Marathon run of
| approximately 25 miles with cross
| country racecourse charted and blue
prints furnished at least Is months be-
fore race.
Field events-Running and standing
broad jumps. running and standing
| high jumps. running hop step and
/ jump pole vault for height, javelin
and discus throws. best hand only; shot
put best hand only; hammer throw
and 56 pound weight throw.
l. For the relay events the United
| States delegates will suggest 400
/ meter flag relay, each runner to run
100 meters straightaway carrying a
flag of his country to be handed to his
| relief runner at finish of run, the race
| to be run up and down 100 meter lanes
900 meter baton relay race, each run
ner to run 400 meters; 5000 meter
| team race each country to start seven
runners with five to count at finish
Other events included are three, and
| seven mile walks or their approximate
equivalent in meters; tug of war. pen
tathlon and decathlon.