1912 Olympic Games Official Report Part 2

gaining any direct and personal knowledge of the feat in question,but would be obliged to rely entirely on the statements and ideas ofthose making the entry, and these again would, perhaps, not be basedon personal knowledge of the facts. Still, the Swedish Olympic Committeeresolved to refer the matter to the further investigation of thejudges. The following were chosen as judges and members of thejury in question: President; Count Claes Lewenhaupt, Lord of theBedchamber, Fr. Björkenstam, Esq., Master of the Hounds, E. vonEckermann, Esq., Master of the Hounds, Professor Einar Lönnberg,Professor A. G. Nathorst.In order to obtain a more precise definition of the phrase “thebest game shooting feat”, many expressions of opinion were asked for,and the definition given by the proposer of the award, Baron deCoubertin himself, viz., “— — — — qualities of manliness andcourage and energy — — — — displayed on one or severaloccasions”, is probably the most satisfactory one. For it cannot bethe intention of the proposer or any one else, to reward the shootingof a great number of head of game, as, irrespective of other pointsof view which need not be discussed here, this signifies chiefly aplentiful supply of game and skill in shooting, and the last factoris a thing that is submitted to the decision of judges during the courseof several different competitions in the ordinary Olympic Games.Neither can there be a question of awarding a medal such as theone in question for a feat, for which the sportsman has good-luck tothank, more than anything else, and yet there were entries that couldbest be referred to such a category.After having carefully deliberated on what had been laid beforethem in the matter, the jury determined to make the following report:“We, the undersigned, who have been commissioned to act as judges for theaward of the Olympic Gold Medal for the best game shooting feat during theperiod 1908—1911, beg herewith to state as follows:Under any circumstance, it would be difficult to give a just and definite decisionin such a matter as this, as we should then proclaim that a certain person had,in such a wide sphere as the one in question, surpassed all his contemporaries in“qualities of manliness and courage and energy — — — — displayed on one orseveral occasions”, as Baron Pierre de Coubertin, in the opinion of the judges,correctly defines the demands that should be made of the recipient of this medal.As we, the judges, from the documents which have been placed before us inthe matter, have not been able to come to the conclusion that any of the fewcandidates who have been proposed can be considered as having fulfilled suchgreat claims in a higher degree than all other persons, we find ourselves obligedto propose that the medal in question shall not be awarded on this occasion.Stockholm, 15 June, 1912.CLAES LEWENHAUPT.FREDRIK BJÖRKENSTAM. E. v. ECKERMANN.EINAR LÖNNBERG.A. G. NATHORST.In consequence of this report, the question of an Olympic Medalfor Game Shooting was decided negatively for this occasion, and this804