The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-09-12


Lucerne International and in favor
of cooperation with Red Sports or
CARNATIONS. This has been intensi-
fled by the threat of the executive
council at Lucerne last week to expel
any sections whose delegations took
part in any Communist sport demon
stration in Moscow. The respect foe
the decision of the Lucerne Interna-
tional was shown by the fact that all
the delegations marched in the pa
rade on Sunday in defiance of this
order.
Germans Defied Rulers.
The German delegation risked even
more, because their own organization,
the Arbeiter Turn and Sportbund,
affiliated with the Lucerne Interna-
tional, refused permission for the
delegation to go No the U. S. S. R.
Four of them are Social Democrats
and six without party affiliations.
The Social Democrat leadership of
the sports movement in Germany is
very much afraid of Communist con-
troll. Already the Communists have
the strongest influence in the organi-
cations in Berlin, Essen, Halle and
Stuttgart, and there is a growing
sentiment for affiliation with the
Red Sport International. This ex-
plains the refusal of the officials to
permit delegation to go to Moscow.
The control Of the German sports
movement is not something to be
easily given up. Unified under the
central Kommission fur Arbeiter-
sport und Korperpflege, the member
ship already numbers 100000, con-
shutting most of the Lucerne Inter
tional. So if the Communists get
control of the sport movemeet in
Germany, it will mean the end of
the .Lucerne International
100000 Organized.
The main organization under the
central Kommission is the Arbeiter
Turn and Sport Verein, which is a
general athletic organization number
ing 100000, 30 per cent of whom are
women. Next comes "Solidaritat,
the bicycle riders organization, num-
bering 100000, all of whom are
union members or members of politi-
cal parties. The Arbeiter Adledend-
bund for boxing, etc, numbers 10000,
the Samaritterbund 30, 10000; the
Schutzenbund 10000, and so on.
There is a stadium at Grunewald,
on the outskirts of Berlin, which
seats 10000 people, and is equipped
with many sport facilities, including
a 100-metre swimming pool, and in
the city there is the indoor sports
Palast, seating 10000, where not only
sports events, but Communist meet
ings are held.
Half Million in Bohemia.
In Czecho-Slovakia there are about
half million members in the work
ers' sports organizations, the most
important being the Federation of
Proletarian Sport, with 100000 mem
bers, belonging to the Red Sport In
ternational, and the Arbeiter Turn
Verband, affiliated with the Lucerne
international. The Czecho-Slocakia
section numbers $4,000, and the Ger
man section in Czecho-Slovakia
10000.
The Red organization originated in
1921, after split in the Arbeiter
Turn Verband. The history of this
split shows very clearly the reflec-
ton of the political struggle in the
sports movement At this time Hum
mellans was president of the Yer
band, and also member of parlia-
ment. 1t was during the Hungarian
revolution, when the workers had or
ganized Soviet government there.
Hummelhans organized regiments
which were sent to Hungary to throt-
tie this new proletarian government,
and part of the Verband supported
his action. There was a vigorous
protest on the part of the lefts, and
a convention was demanded, but the
Hummelhans administration, realiz-
ing that they were in minority,
succeeding in blocking it. Feeling
ran high. The opposition officials
were expelled. Locals supporting
these officials were also expelled,
and the fight went on until whole
districts were expelled from the Yer
band.
Mass Sports.
The opposition at first focused it's
efforts on getting reinstated. Mean
while the Verband administration
took refuge in the organization of
the OlymAad, a mass sports demon
stration in Prague. The opposition
was, of course, excluded from partici-
patton, but bourgeois nationalist and
military organizations were invited.
This was enough for the opposition,
and at a conference on May 8, 1921,
1t was decided to hold sports dem
onstration, to be scalled the Sparta
kiade. This demonstration lasted