Evening star., 1936-03-15
SHORT STATURES
SLOW 0R|ENTALS
Say Americans and Others
Gain Advantage Through
PIunging Starts.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated PreSS.
JAPANESE swimmers, because of
their short stature, are handi-
capped by the present rules
~ governing speed swimming COM
petition, especially in the plunge and
on the turns, and high official OF the
Japanese government urges changes
to eliminate these disadvantages.
Eli Amau, who as chief of the
foreign Office information bureau, is
the famous foreign Office spokesman"
who figures in the world press, is the
exponent of such changes. Amau, a
famous swimmer and base ball player
In his school and university days, fears
that unless the handicaps inherent
in the Japanese stature are removed
the aquatic champions of Nippon may
lose to the Americans at the Berlin
Olympics this Summer-lose the world
supremacy the Japanese gaint so
spectacularly at Los Angeles in 1892
and successfully defended against an
American invasion last August.
Buoys for Turns.
HENCE Amau, between history
making statements on Japan'S
political moves, is feeding represen-
tatives Of the international press con-
ferences with arguments in favor of
new conditions for swimming COM
petition. He would abolish the plunge
at the start, and instead of having
turns made against the solid walls
Of the pools he would have swimmers
negotiate their turns around buoyS,
as in yachting and other water sports.
Present conditions give the tall,
1ong-legged swimmers too great an
advantage" the governments spokes-
man said after having seen the Amer
ican-Japanese dual meet in the Meiji
Shrine pool. Much of what our
swimmers gain by their speed in the
water they lose to their larger oppo-
nentS in the initial plunge and in
making the turns. America and Japan
are now so nearly equal in swimming
strength that it may well prove
at Berlin that just that small advan-
tage enjoyed by the taller American
boys will mean the passing of the
aquatic crown from Japan back to
the United States"
Convinced by Americans.
A MAU began his campaign to
change the swimming rules after
watching Jack Medica, Peter Flick
and other American stars, most of
them 6-footers or taller, gain from
! to 3 feet against Hiroshi Negami,
MaSanori YuSa and other NipponeSe
champions, ranging from S feet 2
inches to feet inches, on the
plunge and then pick up precious
inches with each thrust of their long
legs against the side of the pool at
the turns. Medica fefeated Negami
by not more than inches in the
400-meter free-style event. Amau is
confident that these results would have
been different with standing" start
and with the thrusting turn elm
mated.
Apparently that little band of
American swimmers who invaded
Japan last Summer made a lasting
impression on the Nipponese officials
just as their fine showing did much
to raise our hopes for a victory in
the Olympic swimming events. That
the Americans were able to win
three of the six Olympic events on
the card at Tokio-and missed the
fourth when Taylor Drysdale was dis
qualified for making a faulty turn
after touching first in the 20O-meter
backstroke-without the service of
our two best backstroke swimmers,
Adolph Kiefer and Albert Van De
Weghe-indicateS that the United
States will be prepared to give the
Japanese swimmers and all others
Q stiff battle for top honors.