Australia and the Olympic Games the Berlin Olympics 1936 Historical Context

Australia and the Olympic Games The Berlin Olympics 1936 Historical Context

A Different Debate in Australia – the team selection

In many countries the main controversy in the lead up to the Berlin Olympics was the internal political policies of the Nazi government and its persecution of German Jews and other political rivals. This debate for a boycott was strongest in the United States. In Australia the dominant issue was to do with the team selection. Australia was only sending 33 competitors.

In Australia, as the Games approached, there was much argument, too, but it had nothing to do with the philosophies of Olympism, or the collision of sport and politics. As had happened before, it was mainly about the selection of an Olympic team, and it was soured by the presence of traditional Sydney—Melbourne rivalries. Compared with the controversy raging abroad, the whole affair was petty and unedifying, but it still caused more internal strife than the AOF had ever known, and even speared into federal parliament.

On 13 March 1936, the AOF met in Melbourne to consider Australia’s representation in Berlin, aware that the prime minister, Joseph Lyons, had guaranteed a government subsidy of up to £2000 to help send a team away. It accepted the recommendations of the selection committee, and named a team of twelve which included the gold-medal cyclist Dunc Gray, the world triple-jump record-holder R (jack) Metcalfe, and one woman, the swimmer Pat Norton. Four reserves were chosen in order of priority but not identiﬁed; their names were kept in a sealed envelope. Provision was also made for the New South Wales Police Force rowing eight to represent Australia, if it could raise its own funds for the trip (which it promptly did).

On the casting vote of the chairman of selectors, Mr Kenny, H.G. (Harry) Alderson Defeated Hugh Weir for the post of manager. Alderson was vice-chairman of the AOF and chairman of the New South Wales Olympic Council, and Weir treasurer of the Victorian Olympic Council. Because of earlier rows, the AOF now had a policy that no additions would be made to a team once it was announced.

To that point the whole procedure had been very orderly. But no sooner had the names of the selected athletes been released than a furious debate began. In New South Wales, where it was felt that a number of fine local candidates had been overlooked, there was much talk of Victorian favouritism; it was reinforced by innuendo, since all but one of the selectors (Maxwell) were Victorians. Gender became an issue, too, with Mrs W Chambers, of the New South Wales Women’s Amateur Swimming Association, asserting that “the girls have been sacrificed”. Dissatisfaction in Sydney intensified when, after the AOF decided it could afford to send three of the reserves, the first three names in the sealed envelope were found to belong to Victorians. The federal opposition leader (and later prime minister) John Curtin claimed in parliament: “The athletic bodies controlling this selection have made mistakes because of internal jealousies and personal prejudices ..." As a result of New South Wales pressure for an increased team, the AOF decided to reverse its own strict “no additions" policy. At that point Hugh Weir resigned in protest

from the selection committee, and he was soon followed by H.G. Wakeling, amid wild threats that Victoria would boycott the Empire Games due to be held in Sydney in 1938. Weir, Wakeling and Bennett made a joint statement claiming that New South Wales delegates to the AOF had initially been happy with the selected team, but had later been “stampeded by the press and politicians". The lone Sydney member of the selection panel, Maxwell, supported them, insisting that the selectors had done the best possible job with the funds available. All four agreed that there should be no additions. On 23 April, six weeks after the original selection, the AOF announced that nine more athletes would be allowed to go to Berlin, on condition that they raised their own expenses of £200 apiece and lodged the money with Jim Eve within the following six days. Five constituent bodies had supported the idea of increasing the team, and ﬁve had opposed it; James Taylor, as chairman, used his casting vote in favour. He let it be known that the AOF executive committee, Messrs Taylor and Eve (NSW), Kenny (Vic) and D.S. Carter (Qld), took full responsibility for their action in overruling the selection committee. “Notwithstanding that the detailed work has been more or less distressful,” said Taylor, “may I suggest that all criticism and recriminations cease and be forgotten. Send this team away with our united good wishes …”

Harry Gordon, Australia and the Olympic Games, Queensland University Press, 1996 (3rd edition), p148-149

Extension

The following paper Harry Cohen, Australian Jewry and the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Anthony Hughes (10 page Pdf) considers the selection of Australian-Jewish boxer Harry Cohen for the Berlin Olympics and whether he is the only Australian to actually boycott the Berlin Olympic Games. This highlights the problems historians face when trying to reconstruct the past. http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/ISOR/ISOR2000za.pdf