People & Lifestyle article, February 2006
| MENS SANA IN
CORPORE SANO (A Sound Mind and a Healthy Body)
The run up to the London Olympic Games affords a golden opportunity for the restoration of effective recreative physical activities in schools, youth organisations and sports clubs. By: Bill Latto |
Never before in history was there a greater need for “sound minds in healthy bodies.”
The world was still reeling from the most devastating war of all time. It was in such circumstances that the fourteenth Olympic Games of the modern era came to London though that was never in the original plan. The Sino-Japanese war had put Tokyo out of the reckoning in 1938, the Soviet invasion of Finland made it impossible for Helsinki to take over, and so it was determined that in 1944 London should do the honours. Alas Herr Hitler had other ideas, yet not to be denied and under the able presidency of Lord Burghly a past Olympic gold medallist the occasion was deferred until 1948.
Although much of London was still in ruins, miraculously the main sports locations were intact. However such was the quality of organisation that a record number of 4099 competitors representing 59 countries were happily accommodated in make shift accommodation in recently disused RAF stations, in colleges, schools and even air raid shelters.
The supreme star of the games was the 30 year old mother of two; Fanny Blanker Koen who collected four gold medals for Holland and, in so doing thrilled capacity crowds in the Wembley Stadium with victories in the 100 and 200 meters, the 80 meters hurdles and the 4x100 meter relay. At only seventeen years old Bob Mathias of the USA took gold for the Decathlon and is still the youngest competitor ever to win that event. The greatest vocal support from the Wembley stands was for Etienne Gailly the Belgium Marathon competitor who having entered the stadium first, then collapsed and though he courageously dragged himself along he could only cross the finishing line in third position.
Torbay provided the facilities for sailing and the rowing events were accommodated on the Thames. The indoor competitions including gymnastics, weight lifting and fencing were contested in the Empress Hall, Earls Court and on Herne Hill cycle track Tom Goodwin and Reg Harris (later to become World Champion) became Silver Medallist in the 4000 metres Team Pursuit and the 1000 metres sprint respectively. In total Britain gained 3 golds and 14 silvers to finish in the combined placing of twelfth out of 59 competing countries.
All that and much more was accomplished in a period when electronic time keeping was yet to come. Actuality radio reporting was in its infancy and the only means of viewing moving pictures of the events was on newsreel in the local cinema several days later. In retrospect perhaps the greatest achievement of the London Games was that the entire package was completed at the incredibly low cost of £600,000.
It is relevant to remember that Baron de Couberton’s most laudable aim was to encourage the development of sound minds in healthy bodies not only in the elite participants but most importantly in the ordinary peoples of the competing nations. The overall plan was that the brilliant achievements of the Olympic contestants would inspire the lesser mortals to become actively involved in recreational physical activities as a means of attaining all round fitness. The hopeful corollary of the Couberton’s plan was that the Olympic Spirit would so pervade the nations that the likelihood of international conflict would become a thing of the past.
Although by 1948 much of Baron de Couberton’s well founded philosophy had gone by the board, some leaders of war torn Britain saw much virtue in the total Olympic concept particularly as a means of restoring the health and fitness of the nation.
Almost all senior schools had a specialist teacher of physical education, every local education authority had a staff of organisers of physical recreation and accordingly the majority of children were in receipt of at least two periods of physical activity each week. The governing bodies of Games and Sports were being encouraged to apply for government grants to appoint national coaches and the Playingfields Association was vigorously supporting local initiatives to acquire territory for converting into facilities for games and sports for all age groups. In some local authorities, tennis clubs were being funded to provide coaching for school leavers and for a short while in London a few riding establishments were providing comparable services for selected children in their last year at school. Unfortunately fifteen years later the financial grants that had funded the provision for facilities and coaching of our youth with the purpose of developing sound minds in healthy bodies became greatly diminished.
On to the swinging sixties, 1960 to be exact and to Rome a magnificent setting for the Olympic Games which by then was well on its way to becoming a spectacle of professional excellence in almost every activity that might be classified as an Olympic sport. It seemed that national prowess and prestige were the overriding aspirations of the competing nations. To achieve those objectives teams from Russia the United States of America and many other countries all included competitors in full time employment in physical recreation and on whose preparations there had been considerable expenditure. In contrast the British teams were composed of men and women who in their spare time and with much diligence and dedication had earned them a place in the national team. Some observers suggested that the competing nations had lost the Couberton plot, the ultimate aim of which was to encourage provision for all mankind to have the opportunity to become actively involved in recreational pursuits beneficial to health of the whole human being. In spite of those concerns the Rome Games were a spectacular success. Under the brilliant direction of the Chief Technical Manager of RAI (the Italian Broadcasting Organisation) who surprisingly bore the name of M Smith, many of the events were for the first time seen on television in several countries contiguous with Italy. To the delight of the potential viewers in England television coverage was beamed across the English Channel by means of huge complimentary dishes erected at Calais and Dover respectively. Afficiendos of boxing in southern England saw Cassius Clay, later to become the world champion Mohammad Ali, win gold in the Light Heavyweight class and our own Anita Lonsbrough swim for gold in the 200 meters breaststroke.
The most miraculous performance in 1960 was that of Murray Halberg who whilst playing rugby as a youth of seventeen had suffered such crippling injuries that he had had to learn to walk again. Now six years later in Rome he took on the best in the World at 5000 metres to gain gold for New Zealand.
Now in the intervening years up to 2012 Britain has a gigantic task in preparing for and mounting the Games. Doubtless the London Games will be a stupendous spectacle which will be witnessed directly and on television by the largest audience ever. In Greater London there will be an abundance of different sporting facilities, however the most important aspect of the 2012 Olympic Games must be the responsibility of the national and local education authorities. The run up to the London Games affords a golden opportunity for the restoration of effective recreative physical activities in schools, youth organisations and sports clubs, to at least the extent as in 1948. The reward for the whole nation could be the realisation of Baron de Couberton’s ultimate aim of affording the opportunity for everyone to enjoy the experience of having a sound mind in a healthy body.