The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-12-22
FRENCH ATHLETES PREPARE FOR MEET France Will Be Strong Con- tender for Olympic
 Game HOnOrs

New York. December 2O.-Adopting the same systematic methods which Amer ican athletic authorities proved success ful in the past, European nations are preparing for the Olympic games of 1920
 in thorough manner which bodes no easy victory for the United States ath- letes in the international track meet at Antwerp. Beigium, next August. Cam paigns for the development of teams. collection of funds and other important details, essential to success in such an elaborate undertaking are already under way, aided in several cases by govern ment supervision and subsidies.
 No better example may be cited than the plans and arrangements of the French which involve generous use of Ithe army methods and system Three classes remain nobilized of the great army of France at the present time. They are the class of 1917; boys aged 22: that of 1918, aged 21 and the class of lsl9 youths of 20. Thus the flower of the French race. physically and from an athletic point of view, remains under
 
 garrison towns and departments of France. It is from among those three classes that athletic France expects to recruit 30 or 40 first-class athletes to add to the already fair quota of men who are slated to represent France at Ant werp.
 The following programme has been de- cided upon by the athletic directors of the French army at the head of whom is Colonel See, chief of the Joinyille School of Athletics for the French army. Elimination trials will be conducted in every regiment 2. of the above three classes, each soldier making a speciality of the sport for which he has shown the greatest inclination and to which he has been pronounced fittest by the doctor Of the regiment. These trials will occur after three. four and perhaps six months of preparatory training under the eye Of an athletic director. Soldiers who have shown class warranting their un- dergoing further training will be picked out and directed to one of the large cen- ters nearest their billet Strasburg, Lyons, Marseilles, Bordeaux and Paris. SURVIVAL OF FITTEST
 According to the schedule adopted, the men chosen as being worthy of further trial will reach their various headquar- ters some time in the spring. Then se&I- finals win Be held in Strasburg, Lyons. Marseilles and Bordeaux, and it will be a case of the survival of the fittest These will be sent to Joinyille near Paris, where the final touch will be put to their preparation.
 Fifty chiefs of battalions are just now finishing special course of training at the Joinville school. and in a few weeks will be disseminated among the garrison towns of France to commence the train ing of the men and officers.
 k-.,. 1x.-l zee already hard at work at the school, some of them training in their own behalf. others getting ready to take in hand the men who will be sent to them from the provinces. Joinvl1e is close to the Persh- ing Stadium, and the final work of the Olympic candidates will be done at the former American Stadium.
 One million francs of the 100000 voted by the Chamber of Deputies for the in- tensification of athletic training among French youth has been appropriated for the work at Joinville.
 SOME GOOD MEN
 The officers and men at Joinville are already training in earnest and an As sociated Press correspondent recently saw Tirard negotiate the 100 meters in Il seconds flat: Seurin cover POO meters in 221s Carlaix run 100 meters in min utes, B seconds, and young Guillemot do 10 kilometers without being pressed in B minutes. These performances are very close to championship form. Young Gull lemot is considered as being the mos, likely successor to the famous J. Bouin. He is somewhat awkward in his styler but when it is realized that six months ago he had never competed in race. the way in which he has been winning from all competitors lately would seem to indicate that with little more ex- perience and training he will be hard man to beat at Antwerp.
 Guillemot was discovered by an Amer ican officer. He was stationed at Brest and attended the field games of the American army on the s30th of May Standing on the side lines, he expressed the desire to take part in a five-mlle race which was just being started. He was allowed to enter, more as a joke than anything else. He peeled off his tunic, took off his army shoes and ran in his stocking feet, running splendid race and finishing third ss5N