The United States will positively be represented in the 1936 Olympic games, Avery Brundage, president of the American Olympic Association and chairman of the American Olympic Committee declared today in reply to persons and organizations opposing American participation in the Berlin games.
“The bitter feeling. attempted coercion and insidious propaganda,” he asserted, which are being used in the campaign against the Berlin games, largely by individuals who have never learned the lessons of amateur sport and thus do not hesitate to use methods contrary to all the codes of sportsmanship, are an indication of what may be expected if religion, racial, class or political issues are allowed to introdude in council halls of sport, where they have no place.
“Many dare not even voice their opinions.” he continued, “because of social, political or economic pressure applied by certain organized minorities. However, it is safe to say that the vast and overwhelming majority of intelligent Americans realize that we have many opportunities for the exercise of our altruistic impulses right here in the United States. It would seem only proper to set are own house in order before we attempt to reform the world.
“It is notable that everyone who has visited Germany has reported courteous and hospitable treatment and that the German authorities are fulfilling every pledge made to the International Olympic Committee.”
Brundage declared that, “The Olympic games belong to the athletes, not to the politicians. Knowing the temper of true sport leaders and amateur athletes in this country, who are unanimous on this subject, I say positively that there will be teams representing the United States in the 1936 games.
“Sportsmen will not tolerate the use of clean American sport as the vehicle to transplant old world hatreds to the United States. Accepting the invitation to compete in the 1936 Olympic games, the American Olympic Committee, like the Olympic committees of 48 other nations which have accepted, does not endorse the policies of any government. The committee considered nothing but the sport and its requirements.
“Germany’s political policy within or without has no bearing on the subject. The committee followed the universal and unbroken Olympic precedent of 40 years and ignored irrelevant political, racial and religious affairs. Attempts to twist and distort the unanimous decision of the committee into an endorsement of Nazi policies are nothing but barefaced effrontery.
“The American Olympic Committee, composed of representatives of more than 70 leading amateur sport organizations, after fully investigating all the charges and after due deliberation, accepted unanimously the invitation to participate in the games.
“These men, most of whom for many years, without remuneration, devoted time, thought, energy and money to the cause, know best the interests of amateur sport and have in mind the prestige of the United States. They will never allow our athletes to be made martyrs, to a cause not their own, or let amateur sport be sacrificed to a political issue.
“The Olympic Committee is the only organization which has the authority to deal with the representation of the United States in the games.
“As a result of hundreds of requests, the American Olympic Committee is publishing a sixteen page booklet covering the entire Olympic situation.”
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.
