Strong Team

The U.S. Olympic committee last week announced its line-up for the first Pan-American Olympic Games, starting next week in Buenos Aires. In all, 128 men & women will compete for the U.S. in baseball, basketball, boxing, cycling, modern pentathlon, wrestling, weightlifting, gymnastics, shooting, fencing, swimming, water polo and track & field events.

The U.S. track & field squad, made up almost entirely of athletes who placed 1-2-3 in last year's national championships, will be strong. Two of its big stars are the Rev. Bob Richards, who cleared 15 ft. again last week in Manhattan, and Yale's Jim Fuchs, holder of the world shotput record. Though Champion Miler Don Gehrmann, unbeaten in 38 races, will not make the trip, the U.S. will be represented by such outstanding runners as Hugo Maiocco, winner of last week's National Indoor 600-yd. race, and T/Sgt. Mal Whitfield, U.S.A.F., Olympic 800-meter champion who is home on 90-day leave from his fighter squadron in Korea.

Back of the team's selection was some fast work by U.S. sport lovers, both official and unofficial. For a time, with contributions barely trickling in, the Olympic committee anticipated trouble scraping up funds; it seemed possible that the U.S. might have to send a small delegation. Mindful of the prestige and good will involved, the U.S. State Department politely pressured the Olympic committee to round up a first-class team, full of the old college try. With the aid of timely contributions from firms doing business in Latin America, the necessary $150,000 was as good as raised.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.