Evening star., 1948-04-13
Lack Of D. {. Stadium
Bars Chances for
.0Iympics in 1852
By Dorsey J. Griffith

oy IOtSSy }. SIIIIVU
Director. The Evening Ssor lndsor Meet
The outdoor track seasons arrival
marks the start Of intensive final
preparations for our participation in
the Olympic games at London this
summer.
Chief interest, locally, will be cen
tered on Byrd Stadium. University
Of Maryland, May I. where the Dis
tict area Olympic trials will be run
of in conjunction with the District
AAU championships. This will be
a twilight meet. starting at 5 pm,
and Is expected to attract record
numbers of spectators as well as
contestants.
Cannot Be Overestimated.
Individual winners will receive
District championship medals as
well as certificates for the final
Olympic trials at Chicago In July.
The importance OF an Olympic year
cannot be overestimated in the track
world and this Importance is re-
flected in local activities.
At the close OF World War I there
was a great hue and cry to bring
the olympic games to the United
States. A drive was made to build
suitable stadium in Washington
and to bring the games here. The
Olympics had been held in capital
cities of most of the European ma
tions and it seemed fitting they
should be staged In Washington.
Committees were formed and aft
er much speech-making in the halls
of Congress and some preliminary
spade work the movement collapsed
and the 1920 games were held at
Antwerp.
When the United States did spon-
sor the games in 1882 they were held
in the West-at Los Angeles, Calf.
not Washington, nor even in the
most centrally located city where
it would have been more convenient
for the most people to see them.
Noise Has Abatted.
Last year when a number OF
sports-minded cities were publish
ing briefs and distributing adver-
Using in hopes Of getting the 1852
Olympics Supposed to be held in
the United States), more talk was
heard of building q stadium here
expressly for bringing the Olympics
to our city. Already that noise has
abated. It makes us wonder about
the real reason why the Capital Of
this Nation does not have such a
stadium.
It seems high time that an in
vestigation was made to discover
the cause of continued buck-pass-
ing in regard to an Olympic sta
dium here.
In January, 1916, before the vet
Grams returned from all battle areas,
the Army held its Pacific Olympic
games in Manila. Philippine Islands.
The writer had the opportunity OF
assisting in the organization OF
those games. When we arrived in
the capital of the country our
armed forces fought so hard to lib
crate it was q decided shock to see
the stadium where the games were
to be held. -. .
Manila contains the greater part
of the Philippine people, having q
population of approximately 10000
Although supposedly far behind ac.-
cepted western standards Of life, we
were surprised to seen one OF the
finest athletic plants in the world.
A crew of groundkeepers took ex-
ceptional pride in grooming the
baseball field, tennis and badminton
courts. The coliseum where. bad
minton, indoor tennis, boxing and
basket ball was held seated 10000
spectators and was well lighted and
ventilated.
Modern Dressing Rooms.
The playing floor was surrounded
by modern showers and dressing
rooms far better than the average
large university in the United
States. DR.. Elon, member Of the
Executive Committee of the Philip
pine Amateur Athletic Federation,
informed me that . world tour Of
athletic plants was made prior to
the building of Manila's 2o-acre
recreation center in 1925.
After the initial shock Of finding
such a modern and perfectly kept
athletic plant in the capital OF q
nation devastated by war and con-
sidered practically bankrupt, the
next sensation was one Of shame.
We felt deep shame that the Capt.
tai of the greatest Nation In the
world has nothing comparable in
size of arrangement to match 1t.
The Evening Star indoor games
last winter were a start toward
what well may be the largest indoor
athletic event held in Washington.
Why not also bring the Olympics
here?