1912 Olympic Games Official Report Part 2

YACHT RACING.THE ORIGIN OF THE REGATTA.t its meeting in Berlin, 27 May, 1909, the InternationalOlympic Committee expressed the desire that YachtRacing should also be included among the other items ofthe programme for 1912, although not as an independentevent, but in connection with the rest of the Games,as the case was at the Fourth Olympiad, in 1908. Atthe same time, however, the desirability was emphasized of arrangingthe Yacht Racing in more direct connection with the other Olympiccompetitions, both as regards time and place, than had been the casein England.In Swedish yachting circles, too, the opinion was general that sailingmatches ought to form part of the Olympic Games, but the sameunanimity by no means prevailed respecting the place where the competitionshould be held, and the manner in which it should be arranged.Yachtsmen from the west coast of Sweden considered that Gothenburgwould be the most suitable place, both as regards position —it being considerably nearer for competitors from abroad — and fromthe greater interest shown there, as they thought, in the matter of theinternational rule. On the Baltic coast of Sweden, again, yachtsmenwere equally convinced of the advantages offered by the vicinity ofStockholm, as, of course, the other competitions in the Games wereto be held there and, consequently, a considerably greater number ofspectators could be expected at the races. The Swedish OlympicCommittee, too, thought that Stockholm was the most suitableplace and so, in a letter dated 24 February, 1910, it approached theRoyal Swedish Yacht Club, asking that body whether it would bewilling to organize international yacht races, in connection with theOlympic Games, to take place immediately after the Olympic Weekproper.766