Germany’s repudiation of the Locarno treaties by invading the demilitarized Rhine zone raised the issue of Olympics participation anew today and a boycott of the Berlin games by several countries appeared likely.
Paris reports of the Associated Press quoted a French official as stating that France would undoubtedly boycott the games and that Britain, Italy and Belgium would probably follow suit. It was explained that sanctions against Germany would apply to Olympics participation.
The United Press reported from Geneva that delegates to the League of Nations had said that Rumania and Yugoslavia were also likely to abandon participation. A London despatch said the British Olympic Committee was temporarily suspending fund-raising.
Meanwhile, in Chicago, Avery Brundage, president of the American Olympic Committee, held Germany’s action would not block holding of the games since “they were awarded to the city of Berlin. They were not awarded to Germany.”
Jeremiah T. Mahoney, former president of the Amateur Athletic Union, declared last night that he was more convinced than ever that his opposition to the holding of the games in Germany was justified.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
