Challenge Inaugurating English-American Track Series Issued in 1899--Amateur Standing Strongly Emphasized

On June 12, 1899 the Harvard and Yale Athletic Associations received a formal challenge from the athletic heads of Oxford and Cambridge to compete in a track meet in England sometime during the summer. The challenge was subsequently accepted and on July 22 in London the first of a long series of international meets, the latest one of which is scheduled for this summer, was held. The English universities won the meet by a 5 to 4 score-only first places counting and only nine events being scheduled. Since this first encounter between the Oxford-Cambridge and Harvard-Yale track representatives six events have been added to the usual college list and all of these except the 220 yard dash have been incorporated in the meet between these joint teams. Thirty years ago the emphasis was largely on running events, the high and broad jumps and two weight throws being the only field contests. But even these seemed too many to the purely track athlete of the nineties and one of the recommendations of the Oxford-Cambridge challenge was that a half mile be substituted for one of the weight throws.

Stress Amateur Standing

The challenge makes seven recommendations in all, most of which deal with the problem of preserving the absolutely amateur character of the games. The Harvard-Yale team as it was finally formulated consisted of 17 competitors, two men being taken for each event except the mile and three mile for both of which only three competitors were chosen.

The text of the challenge as it was received at Harvard follows: Oxford University Athletic Club.   May 19, 1899.

Dear Sir:

The committees of Oxford University Athletic Club and Cambridge University Athletic Club have requested us to forward the following challenge to you for your consideration, and to invite selected representatives of your university club to unite with selected representatives of Yale in forming a joint team to compete in track athletics against a joint team of representatives similarly selected from the athletic clubs of Oxford and Cambridge universities.

We venture to think an athletic meeting will prove very desirable for many reasons. We should be very glad to welcome you to our land. Such international sports between two leading universities of Great Britain and the United States could not fail to rouse the highest interest of all lovers of amateur sport, and could not fail to improve the status of amateur athletics in both countries.

We would suggest the following conditions for your approval: First--That the meeting take place at the Queen's Club, London, on some date at the end of July, 1899, which may be most convenient to you and to the Queen's Club with regard to competitions.

Second--That the program shall be the regular Oxford-Cambridge program of nine events, subject to the following modifications: A, that a half-mile run be substituted for putting the weight; B. that in the 120-yard hurdle race the flights of hurdles should not be fixed with regard to competitors.

Competitors to be Bona Fide Students

Third--That all the four universities concerned may choose representatives only from actual students now in resi- dence and' on the college books of membership.

Fourth--That such representatives to be eligible to compete must conform in all respects to the rules and regulations which govern the athletic sports respectively of Oxford and Cambridge and Harvard and Yale.

Fifth That such representatives shall have never received pecuniary assistance toward their support and maintenance as athletes during any portion of their university career or any period prior there-to.

Sixth and generally--That such representatives must be in all respects amateur athletes absolutely and essentially in accordance with the definition of amateur athletics as laid down by the Amateur Athletic Association of Great Brit-