The Southern Jewish weekly. [volume] (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1939-1992, 1939-08-18
GERMANY GETS OLYMPICS-
WHAT AGAIN?

will again be host to the athletes
of the world at the 1910 Olympic
games and Garmsch-Pa rtenkirch-
EN- will be the scene of the winter
games.
True, Finland will provide the
arena for the track and field ath-
letes, and the pools and tanks for
the swimmers and divers as well
as a lagoon where the oarsmen
may compete; but Germany, the
antithesis Of every Olympian ideal,
must again house the athletes of
the world who are competing I'M
der an international banner that
boasts democracy, and fair play,
and good craftsmanship.
Short years ago we fought a.
gainst sending an American con-
tingent to participate in Berlin
and in GarmiSch-P artenkirchen
not only because of the racial and
religious discrimination against
Jews in sports in Germany but
principally because the Olympic
Games, if held under the swastika,
must prove an theological farce.
We fought on the side of the mi
nOrity but that minority included
such men as Judge MahOney, Gen
eral Johnson and WestbrOok Peg
ler-CathOlics, and PrOteStants
and Presbyterians.
But it was evident when the
American Olympic Committee, led
by Avery Brundage, voted to
send the boys to Germany as
they did in 1917" that a vast
majority of the American sport
ing element lost interest in the
Games. And even as the games
progress when Der Fuerher,
according to Pegler, deliberately
absented himself from the sta
dunn so that he would not be
present when the greatest runner
in the world-a colored boy, Jesse
Owens, would receive three oake,"
the sportsmen in the U. S. began
dropping their heads. And there
was an embarrassed laugh when
Germany declared itself the Win
ner on points-points that had
been awarded because it had built
the stadium in which the Games
were held. The American pub
lie at that time really began to
feel that the Olympics in Germany
could not be the Olympics as en-
visioned by Court Baillet-Latour,
founder of the modern version of
the international athletic jambo-
rec.
And it did seem that the col
umns penned by Pegler on the
games in Germany and the land
in which they were held would
really shame the American public
for having sent a representative
team of its athletes to participate
under the SWaStiIxa. But again
Germany gets the Olympics.
SWITZERLAND, LAKE PLACID,
FRANCE COULD HOUSE
WINTER GAMES
It isn't as if Germany is the
ties for the Winter Olympics.
But the barrage of German lob
byists at the recent International
Olympic Committee proved too
much for the other members. Es-
pecially when the American Olym-
pic Committee, still headed by
Avery Brundage, voted the winter
games to the swastika. Finland
couldn't possibly be ready for an
Olympic program for the 1910
games and Germany seems the
only logical place." was the COM
ment by Brundage to the press
otter the meeting of the I. o. c.
'The only logical place." indeed,
when Switzerland still has the
same facilities that housed four
Olympic affairs; when France still
possesses the magnificent bobsled
runs and Kinks upon which still
another winter carnival was held;
and when America offers in Lake
Placid the same scene that wit
messed the 1892 ice and snow fes-
fiva1