b) Red cards, arranged according to countries. The competitors, etc. were listed here on the basis of their nationality and the total number of persons from each country could thus be determined.
c) Yellow cards showing in which sport and competitions the individual was entered.
In this index the cards were arranged according to sports, and under the individual sports they were arranged according to the various events. In the latter category the countries were again separated and the competitors
Each arriving team was officially welcomed at the Town Hall The State Commissioner, Dr. Lippert, greets the Australian guests, who are led by Mr. H. G. Alderson.
from each country were arranged alphabetically. It was thus possible to find each competitor under his sport and also to determine the number of competitors in each type of sport and event.
In the case of similar sports, it frequently happened that a competitor was entered in more than one contest. In this case an additional white card was made out for him for each contest. The arrangement of this index was exactly like that of the sport index, being according to sport, contest, country and the alphabet. It therefore showed the identity of the competitor, his nationality, and in which contests he was entered.
The Sport Index for the Olympic Stadium. One card:
A red copy of the index cards, arranged according to countries and alphabetically under each country. After its completion, this card index was placed in the directing loge of the Olympic Stadium. It served two purposes: It was useful for reference purposes when inquiries were made concerning particular athletes, and it was also of great value in the checking of the results in the central recording bureau (correct spelling of the names, etc.)
The Sport Index for the Olympic Village. One card:
Blue cards, arranged according to countries and alphabetically under each country.
This index comprised all competitors except those in the yachting and rowing events and the women competitors.
Thus, every competitor who lived in the Olympic Village was recorded here. This index served the following two purposes: It safeguarded the check of the procurement of declarations of amateur status, and it was also an immediate source of information of an sporting or of a personal nature. One of the duties of the superintendent of this card index was to procure the signed declarations of amateur status. He gave the forms necessary for this purpose to the captains of the teams or the officers of the Honorary Service, who transmitted them to the athletes. When received, the signed declarations were placed behind the cards of the competitors. Since a hole was punched in the cards, it was always possible to see which declarations had not yet come in. This was very necessary. The signed declarations of amateur status were not always returned with the required promptness and exactitude, and the Olympic Regulations required that they should be handed
17*
in before the competitors participated in a contest. The card index was often used to obtain other information, particularly concerning mail.