The Rise Of Australasia - Chapter 302

Chapter 302: Chapter 266: Sudden Change of the German Olympic Committee

It has been over a month since the tour began, and even though Arthur had prepared himself beforehand, he was already starting to feel homesick.

After all, it was Arthur’s first time as a father, and he had been away from Sydney for more than a month, genuinely missing his little one.

From the time he returned to the native land of Australasia, Arthur’s tour became much simpler.

After all, Arthur’s control within Australia was still strong, and with the help of the Royal Security Intelligence Bureau, he had a handle on the information in each state, making the tour more of a formality.

At the very least, these officials needed to know that Arthur would check in on their work from time to time, ensuring that they maintained a cautious and active attitude, better helping the development of Australasia.

On this tour, Arthur mainly inspected three aspects: first, the living conditions of the residents in the city, which essentially boiled down to the local people’s sentiments and support for the government.

The second and third aspects were the industrial and agricultural conditions near the city. The importance of industry, regardless of its type, plays a crucial role in the development of a country.

Agriculture was even more important. As the saying goes, “people regard food as their primary need.” If enough food couldn’t be produced, then education, medical care, and industry would all be insignificant.

Without adequate access to food, Arthur couldn’t guarantee that his citizens wouldn’t take drastic measures.

Therefore, the governance strategy of Australasia was simple: first, ensure that all citizens were well-fed and not hungry before considering national development issues.

The current government and Arthur had both done a good job in this regard. Although the population of Australasia continued to grow, they could guarantee that every citizen wouldn’t go hungry.

After staying in the Leonora Industrial Base for a few days, Arthur finally embarked on his return journey aboard the industrial railway.

The Leonora Industrial Base played a critical role in the industrial development of Australasia in recent years, which was also why Arthur stayed there independently for a few days.

Not only did he inspect the current construction situation of the Leonora Industrial Base, but he also ensured that there were no instances of corruption or embezzlement in the establishment of the industrial base, which Arthur absolutely couldn’t allow.

If the construction went smoothly, the Leonora Industrial Base would become the largest and most concentrated industrial base in Australasia’s future, with West Australia becoming its industrial center.

This construction couldn’t be hindered by anyone, as it not only concerned the future of national development, but also the fate of Australasia in the upcoming two wars.

After leaving the Leonora Industrial Base, the remaining tour became much simpler.

Arthur spent just over a week on the entire industrial railway journey, finally returning to Sydney around mid-December.

As it was approaching late December, Australasia was about to welcome another Christmas.

Recalling last year’s Christmas, when the good news of Queen Mary’s pregnancy arrived, Arthur hadn’t had much time for official business for almost a whole year.

Upon returning to Sydney Palace, William and Anna were already two months old. Although they couldn’t clearly call Arthur yet, their babbling, affectionate actions, and curved lips told him they were trying to call him.

Arthur had tried to teach the two little ones to call him “Dad,” but ultimately gave up in frustration.

After all, they were only just over two months old, and learning to call someone was asking too much of them.

Just as Arthur was enjoying the happiness of having both a son and a daughter, Foreign Minister Andrew and Propaganda Minister Grant visited together, interrupting his idyllic life.

“Your Majesty, the Chairman of the German Olympic Committee suddenly passed away, and the Germans may give up hosting the next Olympic Games,” said Foreign Minister Andrew hurriedly upon seeing Arthur.

Since the first Summer Olympic Games were held, four editions have been held as of 1909.

The number of participating countries and athletes in each Olympic Games has been steadily increasing, especially during the last London Olympics, setting a record.

That Olympic Games even caused a stir in almost half of Europe and the Americas, barely becoming a globally noteworthy event.

Moreover, any country hosting any edition of the Olympic Games would receive worldwide attention during the event, and with good planning, the event could leave a significant impact.

This would be extremely helpful for a country to enhance its international influence, and to frequently appear on the international stage, which is exactly what Australasia needs right now.

If hosting the Olympic Games can expand Australasia’s international influence and attract more immigrants from Europe, then hosting an Olympics is not a loss at all.

“Is the news accurate? What is the reaction of the International Olympic Committee?” Arthur immediately became interested and asked.

“The news should be correct, Your Majesty. The Germans did not conceal this news, and they even have shown intentions of giving up their right to host the Olympics,” Foreign Secretary Andrew quickly responded.

“This is good news. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should immediately contact the relevant German departments to inquire if they will give up hosting the Olympic Games. If they choose to relinquish them, ask if they will directly transfer the hosting rights to us,” Arthur contemplated for a moment and immediately made up his mind.

Such an event also happened this year in history, but it was in May.

At that time, the German Olympic Committee Chairman suddenly passed away, and Germany immediately announced that they would give up hosting the 5th Olympic Games.

Because there were less than three years until the event, the fifth Olympic Games became a mess at that time, and Sweden, which had been eager to host the Olympics for a long time, finally won the bid.

Arthur originally thought that the historical incident would not occur, but the German Olympic Committee Chairman, who had escaped May, eventually passed away suddenly before the New Year arrived.

However, there were two pieces of good news for Australasia. The first is that the timing was more postponed, the mess would be even worse, and Sweden would have to consider taking over.

The second is that given the close relationship between Australasia and the Germans, if the Germans really want to give up hosting the Olympic Games, there is a high chance that the Germans will transfer the hosting rights to Australasia.

Such a thing might seem unimaginable in later generations, but in this era of great power rivalry, sports were indeed controlled by politics.

As the second powerful country in the world, if the German Empire were to announce the transfer of hosting rights openly, would other countries compete for the rights?

Hard to say, but there shouldn’t be that many foolish ones.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will immediately contact the German Sports Department and the German government. If it is confirmed that Germany would like to give up their hosting rights, I will request the German government to transfer the rights to us in our government’s name,” Minister Andrew immediately nodded and said.

“Hmm, this matter needs to be done quickly. We are not the only country that wants to host the Olympics, we cannot let others pick the fruit first,” Arthur nodded and signaled Minister Andrew to make the connection immediately.

Upon receiving the order to leave, Arthur looked at Minister Grant of the Propaganda Department and ordered: “Minister Grant, if we really win the right to host the next Olympic Games, your Propaganda Department’s task will be very heavy.”

Grant Wilson solemnly nodded and made a promise: “I understand, Your Majesty. Please rest assured that the Propaganda Department will do its utmost to promote our Olympic Games both domestically and internationally, spreading them widely.”

Although the Olympic Games have been valued by many countries so far, no one can guarantee that any unexpected events will occur during the Olympics held in Australasia.

The best way to prevent accidents is to promote Australasia’s Olympic Games to an eye-catching level worldwide.

Some countries may not participate in an ordinary sports event, but what about an Olympic Games that have caught the world’s attention and involved many great powers?

This imbues the Olympics with many political implications. Big countries, for the sake of their international influence and reputation, will inevitably participate and compete with other countries they have enmities with.

When big countries participate, are the small countries sheltered by the big countries dared not give face and participate? After all, if the big brothers go on the field and the little brothers do not, isn’t that disrespecting the big brothers?

In this way, one link after another, Arthur does not believe that the Olympic Games he hosts will be worse than the previous ones. Even if they cannot surpass the London Olympics hosted by the world’s first superpower, the British Empire, they should at least be better than the previous three Olympic Games!

Of course, Arthur still has some backup plans. After a little thought, Arthur looked at Grant and smiled, “Minister Grant, in addition to your Propaganda Department’s job, I have another task for you.”

Hearing Arthur’s words, Minister Grant immediately sat upright and listened carefully and quietly.

“It’s not a big deal, Minister Grant. If we successfully obtain the right to host the Olympic Games, we will inevitably send many athletes to participate in this Olympic Games. But as you know, Australasia’s current sports system is not mature yet, and many people in the sports industry are participating out of interest rather than true love. If possible, I hope you can seize the establishment of the sports department, build a complete sports system for Australasia to cope with future Olympic Games, can you do that?” Arthur smiled and made the originally serious atmosphere a little more relaxed.

Minister Grant quietly breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly said, “No problem, Your Majesty. There are currently two years left for us to establish the sports department and train a group of athletes. However, to achieve good results in the Olympic Games with these newly trained athletes may not be a simple thing.”