Olympic Achievements The athletic events in the Olympic Games were
concluded on Sunday, and left no doubt of the supremacy of the United States, the rise of Germany and Japan as athletic as well as political Powers, and the eclipse of Great Britain. Only on the last day, Sunday, was our prestige a little restored by a magnificent victory in the 400 metres relay and a gallant effort to win the Marathon ; otherwise, our only victory was in the 50,000 metres walk. Lovelock's superb race in the 1,500 metres, in which he broke the world and Olympic records, was won for New Zealand and not for Britain. Undoubtedly the heroes of the Games were the United States' wonderful negroes, of whom Jesse Owens won the 100 metres, 200 metres, and long jump ; the Germans, who do not regard negroes as proper competitors in any form of activity, consider themselves as the victors of the Games ; the Nazi paper, Angriff, has made a typically impertinent and stupid attack on America's " black tribes." The real trouble is that the success -of the Japanese and negroes throws doubt, even in German minds, on the supremacy of the white races. But the athletic events at least ended without an " Olympic " incident (apart from a little petulance by Peru) ; the number of foreign visitors is said to have been disappointing and the Games themselves excellently but over-elaborately organised. Now the " Olympische Pause " ends. The possibility of the resumption of Nazi activism is disturbing.
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