Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-05-29
WILL SEND
500 TO 0LYMP|CS
Britain, Germany, France and
Sweden Have Big Squads.
Trek Begins in June.
BY FRANK H. KING,
Associated Press Writer

I ONDON, May Europe,
rounding the curve into the
IL home stretch of prepare
tions for the Los Angeles
Olympic Games, will send to Cali
fornia this Summer the finest
athletic argosy ever launched from
Old World shores.
Five hundred young men and
women from 20 countries, picked
stars Of every sport, will carry the
flags Of Europe in the great march
OF the nations at the Tenth
Olympiad. They are being chosen
with greater care and according
to higher athletic standards than
for the nine previous REVEALS Of
the games Of classic Greece.
Antwerp, Paris and Amsterdam,
where Olympic games have been held
since the Word War, IN 1920, 1924 and
1928. were easily accessible from all Eu-
rope. National delegations were large
because the cost Of sending teams
wasn't great. But only the best will
&c. to California.
June will start the world trek to the
big games. From far corners of the
Continent team will arri.e at the At
lantic, Mediterranean and North Euro
pean ports about July l. reach Cali
fornla two weeks later and have two
weeks for final training before the
opening ceremony on July 80.
CREAT ERITArNS team will be
" tie lorgest from Europe. 100 track
ard ficld stars, boxers, fencers,
sv-mrle :, oaTcmsn. horsemen and a
squad Of woman athlete. John Bull
will be seen in Olympic track and field
eTents for the first time in history
South Africa's team will join the Brit
ism here in London, sail for Canada
and. augmented by the Maple Leaf
team, descend in a body upon the
Olympic village, pack Of nearly 800,
and at that only section Of British
Empire representation.
The French team. numbering IS, sails
on the Lafayette from Havre July 4.
Jules Ladoumegue, fastest of all French
men. has lost his amateur status and
won't be abroad. Otherwise French
lists will be complete.
Germany will send between so and
go on tie Bremen from Hamburg on
July 10. Mussolini is personally fol-
lowing preparations of the Italian team.
But no italian girls will 60, for II Duce
still believes woman's place is in the
home.
CWEDEN'S team will number so.
~ Scandinavian Olympic enthusiasm,
as usual, IS at high pitch. Fin
lands great string Of runners. Ritolo,
Iso-Hollo, Lehtinen, Virtanen and many
others, are preparing for their final
trials. Despite Paavo Nurmi's clash
with I. A. A. F. authorities over ANA
teur status, every Finn confidently eX-
poets the greatest flyer of them all 10
lead the way to California.
Norway'S team will include five track
and field men, two swimmers, three
wrestlers and the country's best all
around athlete. Crossing to the con-
tinental mainland, Denmark. Holland
and little Belgium will be well repre-
sented IN track. field and special sports
From Middle Europe nearly hun
dred athletes will go to the American
games. Poland's team sails from
Gdynia. July 4. with hopes centered on
her famous equestrians, on Janusz
Kusocinski, middle distance runner
and on the comedy discus champion
Halina Konopacka, who won the first
honors at Amsterdam four years ago
She is Mrs. Konopacka- Matuszewska
now. but she still throws a mighty
pretty discus for all that.
HUNGARY'S 20 to IS athletes will
i i include one Of the best water polo
teams in Europe. As with Poland
and Hungary. most of the smaller Eu-
ropean nations will confine their
Olympic teams to sports which they
have developed to a high degree
Czechoslovakia's small group of stars
will include field men and wrestlers.
ireland is fighting over a flag
Ulster and Saorstat delegates agreed on
an Olympic banner Of st. Patrick's blue
but Dublin authorities insist on the
Free States tri-color for international
athlete purposes. The row now is in
the hands Of Olympic authorities
Meanwhile big Pat O'Callahan is train
ing to beat his winning hammer hurl
Of 1853 feet TX inches at Amsterdam.
Spain won't be represented at Los
Angeles. having been SO busy with a
revolution and problems of new re-
public that the tenth Olympiad was
forgotten.
Nor will Turkey, Jugoslavia or Soviet
Russia be there. Several little Balkan
states may not answer rcll call. but all
hope to have at least a handful Of
delegates.