The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-08-14
Yanks in Grand Stands Out
number French and British.
Only French Team Bigger Than
United States Aggregation.
HUNS BARRED FROM MEET
King Albert of Belgium Presides
for Formal Ceremony.
Contestants in Parade Big Fea-
ture of the Program.

Antwerp. Aug. 1.-THE Olympic
stadium was opened today. It was q
formal ceremony. staged with a setting
or flags, banners and fluttering pen
nants against a background of white
stone, cement and wood, with ROYALTY.
officialdom. diplomacy, fame and
fashion participating in the program
or represented in the boxes But the
| thousands of spectators packed about
the huge oval centerec their interest
| IN the actual Observation-Disclosures
from nearly thirty nations-who parad-
ed the arena and tomorrow will begin
/ their tests of strength and skill
Ihe spectators were as cosmopolitan
as the mass of contestants and in the
ranks of the athletes ere citizens of
from official, diplomatic or consular
I boxes. made the scene a colorful
hodgepodge like a warship decked out
with all her pennants.
Hun Flags Missing.
Two flags. the German and Aus
trian, which flew over the stadium in
the Sixth Olympiad at Stockholm were
missing and these countries barred
from participating in the meet as were
all enemies of the entente powers in
the war. had no representation either
in the arena or in the diplomatic boxes
The Russian flag also was missing. In
their places, however. were the ath-
| letes and flags of nations newborn of
the war, Poland and Czecho- -Slovakia.
the latter replacing Bohemia whose
had to march just behind the Aus
| trians at Stockholm. The Jugo-Slavs
today replaced the Serbians of 1912.
The formal ceremonies of opening
the stadium included addresses by the
| king of the Belgi- ms. who officially
/ presented the stadium to Baron
Pierre de Coubertin. president of the
international Olympic committee. and
by number of other officials of the
| Belgian or Antwerp city government
and Belgian Olympic committees.
There was also tremendously impress
sive singing by a Belgian choral So
ciety.
Athletes in Parade.
The cheering was continuous as the
athletes. filing in from the open space
| just back of the sta dunn. where they
had formed. nation by nation, swung
into the arena headed by the MEM
bers of the International Olympic com
! mittee. They marched in alpha betfeal
order. tho the BeIgiats, alpha beticalIv
first in the list, took last place. cour-
| teously. as hosts. Austria was first
in line. behind the official committed
/ Each group was preceded by its
flags, and generally speaking. each
group of nationals was uniformly
dressed-not in athletic togs. but in
suits of uniform cut and color. Some
however, were in army or navy uni
forms As they swung by the royal
1 box. where King Albert, Prince Leo
pold and group of government Of
/ ficials were standing, they saiuted the
king. Some of the athletes paid SINH
lar courtesy to the ambassad dors or
ministers of their nations, who had
boxes all around the arena
Whether ii was represented by $50
athletes. as was France, or only a
comparative handful. as was japan
/ each nation participating seemed to
have its special clique of partisans in
the stands. Where possible. the spec
, ators of one nationality had grouped
together. All of the tourists. who for
weeks have been pouring into Bel
gium. seemed to be there
Almost American Affair.
! The American athletes. about 400
strong, were cheered frequently not
only by their compatriots in the stands,
but by the throngs who recognized
that the group marching behind the
stars and stripes were among the
strong contenders for victory in the
: Seventh Olympiad.
| 1t seemed that there were thousands
of Americans in the stands Every
soldier from the Army of Occupation
i on the Rhine who could possibly se-
cure leave. was there in khaki. Jackies
from the cruiser Frederick. sailors
/ from the American merchant and pas
senger liners in the harbor and hun
dreds upon hundreds Of tourists
swelled the delegation from across tbs
Atlantic until, in some parts Of the
stadium, at least, Il seemed to be a reg
ular American crowd The Belgians.
of course and also the French and
English appeared to be out in force.
The list of nations participating in
this G@piad gives an idea of the
cosmopolitan character of the ath-
I letes and crowd: Australia. Belgium,
Brazil. Canada. China, Chill, Denmark,
Egypt, Spain, United States, Finland.
France. Great Britain, Greece. Hol-
+ land, British India, Italy. Japan.
Luxembourg. Norway. New Zealand.
Portugal. Poland. South Africa. Ru-
mania, Sweden. Switzerland. Czecho-
Slovakia. Monaco and Esthonia. OF
| these Brazil. China. Egypt. Spain.
British India. Mexico and Poland did
not participate at Stockholm in 1912.
Stadium Wonderfully Built.
The stadium, is something more than
Confined on page Three.l