Cheval

1968 Tokyo Olympic Games. Autograph 'Olympic Diary' of Brigadier James Grose equestrian team manager covering the period leading up to the opening ceremony; with accounts. With 'situation report for Col Ansell' telegrams receipts.

rif. 16446 — 'British Equestrian Team Yo-yogi Village' Tokyo Japan. 23 September to 14 October 1964. 38pp. 8vo. In fair condition lightly aged and worn. In 'Note Book Made of paper Specially prepared in Japan'. On front cover: 'J. GROSE British Equestrian Team Yo-yogi Village Olympic Diary'. Begins on 23 September with flight from London Airport via Bombay. In Hong Kong he dines with 'Algie Lady O'Connor' at Flagstaff House. In the Olympic Village at Yoyogi on 26 September he discusses problems 'in our hut 448' before inspecting 'the Equestrian Centre Baji-Koen'. The main topic is the quarantine exercising area in Karuizawa' which the British French and Australian teams deem 'most unsatisfactory'. Other topics include: 'the arrival of the French horse plane'; an agreement that 'Bob Armstrong should live at stables'; 'the Cocktail Party for the British athletes at the Embassy'; 'the draw for Dressage & Grand Prix Jumping' 'I was unlucky enough to draw us number 1'; training; the stable manager and his staff 'softened up' with a bottle of whisky; the acquisition of tickets and press passes; various meetings. On 28 September Grose has 'a confrontation with MR NOMURA Secretary of the JEF Japanese Equestrian Federation & their titular head with the following result: 'Eventually JEF promised to let us know by noon tomorrow whether Australian & British horses could quarantine here & for how many days It became clear that it was NOT shortage of boxes that bothered them so much as favouring us both at the expense of other nations. In fact they went back on what we thought were the undertakings made yesterday. However the Australians took a tough line promised to inform the Press etc & were seeing the President of the J.O.C. Japanese Olympic Committee this evening. Nomura said Mr Du Bois had passed the quarantine site: I said we had always reserved the right to decide when we got here & saw the relative facilities & had been told we could gallop in quarantine etc etc'. The disagreements are not settled and on 2 October Grose writes: 'Then got urgent message to see Sandy Sandy Duncan. The Australians had issued an extremely rude Press release copy filed about the quarantine & try areas at K. Also heard the French had complained officially.' He finds the opening ceremony 'a fine spectacle with a vast crowd & v. well organised' but adds that 'Most of us did not find it moving as the various contingents did not know whether to be serious or not. A few marched well including our women. Some were unconsciously funny others waved to their friends or waved flags etc. The latter chiefly oriental or non-curtain.' The final entry 14 October is short and ends mid-sentence. At the rear are three pages recording the sale and purchase of tickets with names of parties and amounts paid. The final page of the volume carries 'Accounts' from 25 September to 24 October beginning with '3 Bottles Whisky' to bribe the stable manager and ending with 'Soda Water'. Loosely inserted are two telegrams to Grose in Tokyo from 'Ansell' in London 6 and 21 October 1964; calling cards of Keiji Nomura and J. G. Hasegawa; four Japanese receipts; a pencil autograph draft of a telegram from Grose regarding a disqualification. A final item is a carbon copy of an autograph letter from Grose to 'Jane' dated from Yoyogi Village 4 October 1964 which he describes as a 'situation report for Col Ansell BHS & BSJA' and in which he describes how the team had 'three problems before arrival of horses' followed by 'tedious negotiations' and problems with 'the exercising facilities' which have 'caused quite a stir & you may have read about it in the British Press. They were hopeless. .' 'British Equestrian Team | Yo-yogi Village' [Tokyo, Japan]. 23 September to 14 October 1964. unknown