The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-08-21
The Socialists
ViennaOlympiad
BY FRANK HENDERSON.

THE Vienna (Socialist) Olympaid and the
Berlin Spartakiad of the Red Sport Inter
national were scheduled to take place during
the month of July. The Bruening starvation
government Of Germany, assisted by the social
democrats Of all lands and backed by the ir1per-
ialist dollars of world capitalism prohibited the
Berlin Spartakiad because of its revolutionary
international Character. However the Spartakiad
did take place despite all fascist DEGREES against
It, 1t took place because of the strength OF the
German proletariat led by the fighting banners
OF the Red Trade Unions and the Communist
Party OF Germany But what was the fate Of
the Vienna Olympaid? No prohibitive decrees
against it but rather praises And now after
It's conclusion the capitalist newspapers and
the yellow press of the social-democrsts sing
praise to the successful workers sport gather
ing at Vienna. 1t is reported that industrial
workers" from many countries were present. But
let us see just who were present Let us also
examine the working class" character of the
Vienna Olympaid and soon we shall solve the
mystery" of why the Spartakiad was pro-
hibited and why the Vienna Olympaid receives
the applause of capitalism.
The French guests at the Vienna Olympaid
included several hundred white guard emigres
OF the former Czarist nobility of Russia The
same white guards who are fed by the dollars
of the social-democrats. The watch-dogs of
Intervention against the Soviet Union. The
Finnish guests were the representatives of the
newly established Fascist Lapua movement
which has smashed all the militant workers
organizations, including the Red Sport organ
lzatlon OF Finland. AL of the German guests
could not come because few days before their
scheduled departure the Bruening government
got an acute attack of indgestion"-so severe
that even Doctor Hoover could not stop the
closing of lie banks and the falling of the
mark! And the American guests were a few
tourists who put on the label of the Workers
Gymnastic and Sport Alliance and their en-
trance to the Olympaid was greeted by the
playing of the "Star Spangled Banner"
With the exception of few misled worker
athletes these were the invited guests at the
Vienna Olympaid
But there were also some unlimited guests.
They came with message of red sport unity
They came with hundreds of thousands of leaf
lets calling for the defense of the Soviet Union;
against the treachery of the socialist interna-
uonal; calling for unity of all workers sports
They shouted slogans to expose the yellow be-
hind the scarlet banners of the sociaI-democrats
They were the worker sportsmen of the Austrian
section of the Red Sport International
1t would be a waste of words to expose the
anti-working class character of the Vienna
olympaid. The guests speak for themselves
The very fact that the bourgeoisie and social
democrats can sing chorus of praise of this
workers sport" gathering at Vienna is enough
to brand it as the vilest example of the split
ting tactics and program of the Lucerne $50
cialsO Sport International. But let the French
white guards; the Finnish fascists; and the
German watch-dogs of capitalism tremble For
the next Spartakiad of the workers will be
held in the Soviet Union.