The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-02-12
"A Hunger and War
Olylmpics
BY EDWIN RoLFE

" country continue trying to exist On s*ArVa-
ton rations, while thousands upon thousands are
absolutely destitute, while Hoover continues -
stall off all demands for Unemployment relteI
the Olympic Games Committee finds it com.
paratively easy and luxurious sailing to prepare
its gigantic program of sports events. The latest
news from the Olympics front informs us that.
l. The dedication of the winter sports arena
at Lake Placid, built at cost Of $4,000, has
been set for January 16;
2. group of New York business raas AneAmA-
ing Gustavus T. Kirby, DR.. Godfrey Dewey ara
Senator Warren T. Thayer, Will ofnciate snd o.
liver the opening speeches;
3, Representatives of three OF the nanSk ~
dictionary and fascist governments In the wceAd
Japan, Rumania, and Italy,-wtl be pRusease
at the dedication
These facts have twotold meaning. Thew H.
dictate both the attitude of the American hces
class toward its own jobless owrkeKH and tbs
bond which exists between the United e1aAes
and other great boss powers in their hatred
of the Soviet Union.
The sum of 100000 mere drop in the bucket
compared with what has been, land is yet TO be
spent in preparing for the track and field events
next summer) is sufficient-and repeated-proc6
that ruling class cares not an iota about the
sufferings OF American workers and poor faxan-
ers. Bankers and big tradesmen Will contribute
millions, personally, to an Olympic Games fund
while for even their own fake relief" collections
they force their underpaid workers to give up
substantial slice of their meegre wages These
same bankers and bosses use all the influence
in their power to finance and boost these
games which, as has been pointed out present
united war front OF world wide reaction and
fascism agaist the Soviet Union Japan, Ru-
mania, Italy-the first of these has already,
through its advance in Manchuria, begun its
preliminary military operations against the So
Wet Union while the other two are especially
notorious for their persecution of class-conscous
workers. The other nations to be represented are
Austria, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Ger
many, Great Britain, Hungary, Moray and po-
land. This international lineup (which OF course
includes United States in the front rank could
not be more perfect in showing the war lineup
against the Soviet Union.
If additional proof were needed one could cite
the fact that not colonial land, not single
national dominated economically by a stronger,
imperialist power, will be represented at these
games. In answer to those who may claim that,
because colonial countries are for the greater
part situated in tropical climates, they would ma
turally have no representatives at winter sports
meet our answer is: Look through the list OF
track and field entries since 1896 when the
Olympic Games were initiated Besides one or
other British possessions in the South Pacific
and besides few sons of American concession
aires and business men in South and Central
America, the colonies have not been permitted to
participate n these amateur" sports events. Ex-
cept for one or two individuals so outstanding in
their athletic proves that they could not very
well have been overlooked, few natives of colo
NAL lands have competed at Olympic Games.
To the International Workers Meet.
1t is because the class conscious working class
throughout the world realizes the above men
toned facts it has created its own sports organ.
izations. Workers can utilize sports as a weapon
to counterfeit the threat implicit in international
bosses sports We, as workers, must organize our
own broad sports movement, in opposition to boss
controlled athletics All the efforts of American
worker sportsnen will, for the next six months,
be directed toward the complete exposure of the
class nature of the Olympic Games, and toward
the successful preparation of the International
Workers Athletic Meet. In the first case, the ex-
posure will be side by side with the conflicts
which exist within the structure of capitalist
controlled sports Gust 1t exists in other capi-
taliSt institutions and in the system itself: the
continual riffs in collegiate and international
sports concerning professionalism" are substan-
tia proof OF these conflicts In the second objec-
tive, the International Workers Athletic Meet,
we must count on the mass support of all work.
ing class organizations in the United States The
National Provisional Counter Olympic Commit
tee, OF which Tom Mooney Is chairman Will be
the united front Of all these American workers
organizations against the reactionary hunger
and-War front that will be on display at the Los
Angeles Olympics.