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the fact that the question of the Olympic endeavour and the development
of sports throughout the world has the fault that from the outset
it has been given a wrong orientation. The four yearly so called Olympic
Games give us the great athletic prototypes, which we use as the ideal
models for copying, or as powerful magnets which will sway as many
youths as possible towards sports. Probably all the youth which will
foregather will not reach Olympic standards, yet the benefit they will
derive therefrom will be enormous, in relation to the endeavours they
will make, and perhaps this endeavour will become for them a life target
for them to face a similar competitive disposition in the other manifestations
of life. Since in this youthful age the secret hope of becoming
Olympic victors will guide them and in the meantime if this secret
hope were not to be realised they will have been educated in the fine
principles of competition and will have devoted themselves in persistance,
in endurance, in courage and in patience, and will thus have
been created into useful members of society or assured an honest livelihood.
I am afraid, however, that in many cases where a great endeavour
is made for the spreading of athletics, especially with the aid of substantial
state financial assistance, the correct orientation has been turned
around. We have examples which convince us that the special endeavour
of foregathering youth of the most tender ages, with the sole objective
of discovering young persons with talents, who, after special and long
term cultivation, they attempt to push towards great achievements,
so that at every competiton, at any sacrifice, distinction or the obtaining
of a victory can be assured for the national colours. That is to say
the precise opposite of what is proper happens. Many are utilised for
the very few to be chosen, whereas the basic Olympic viewpoint is that
the few with talents should serve as examples to draw the interest of
the many towards sports. As for the distribution of funds and the disposition
of means more or less the same thing happens. I believe that
proportionately the expenses for the perfection of the few is very great,
and very few funds are apportioned for the assurance of training or
entertainment of the many. A similar disproportionate analogy is noticed
in the endeavours made by all relative factors in obtaining interest.
Gigantic financial enterprises maintain small groups or a few great
champions, whereas on the contrary very few give their attention to
the formation of means or the securing of conditions for the great majority
to be able to exercise during its leisure hours.
A fateful consequence of this misunderstood sports activity is that
of the symptoms of ailment of the Olympic ideology.
In contemporary sport circles there are those who make their ap-
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