The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 381: Chapter 326: Nikola Tesla

In September 1912, with Arthur's command, the Australasia Department of Sports was officially established and was temporarily under the management of the Department of Civil Affairs.

This also meant that the position of Minister of Sports had a political rank similar to that of a Mayor, but it belonged to a government department under the management of the Department of Civil Affairs.

Arthur's intention to establish a sports department was not only to fulfill his promise to Minister Grant, who was in charge of propaganda at the time, but also to develop the sports industry in Australasia in a more regularized manner.

After the Sydney Olympics, many Australasians had shown interest in sports.

Furthermore, Arthur was very encouraging of the development of sports, and in a short period, various sports associations were born in Australasia.

From athletics and swimming to shooting and football, various sports associations needed a more regularized department to manage them.

After all, the current state of sports is easily influenced by politics, and it can also greatly impact politics.

Arthur's first step was to establish a sports department, followed by organizing various sports events, to bring Australasia's sports development to the forefront of the world.

In fact, Arthur was confident because the development of sports in other countries around the world was just beginning.

Better-off countries, such as the powerful nations, could allocate some funds to build training venues and provide better food for athletes.

In worse-off countries, athletes might be temporarily recruited, with varying degrees of training; some might have been selected based on curiosity alone.

This is why the issue of whether the host country of the Olympic Games would bear the travel expenses directly determined whether each country would participate in the Olympic Games.

If Australasia could take advantage of this opportunity to develop its sports and even maintain its status as a sports powerhouse, not only would it create many new recreational activities for the common people of Australasia, but the advantages of sports for Australasia would also become very important during peacetime.

By then, the contests held by Australasia itself would have an increased gold content, bringing a lot of prestige and recognition to Australasia. Meanwhile, these sports leagues would also become a considerable source of revenue.

The enormous attention received by football and basketball leagues in later generations shows that as long as Australasia becomes a leader in these sports, it will never lack fame and fortune.

Although basketball has been born, its influence and popularity cannot compare with football.

At least in terms of football, the conditions for establishing international events have been met. If Australasia could seize this opportunity and host the Australasia Cup, it could certainly have a share in the success of football.

Of course, the specific planning of the sports department would naturally be left to the future Minister of Sports to do.

Arthur only had a general framework and vision for the development of the sports department; how to achieve it would depend on the efforts of the sports department.

After consulting with Minister Grant, he proposed a candidate for the sports department, Harry MacDowell.

Harry MacDowell was an important figure in the Unity Party and had some achievements in sports. He wouldn't be completely lost in his work.

Of course, more importantly, as a candidate from the Unity Party like Minister Grant, if Harry MacDowell could become the Minister of Sports, it would naturally strengthen the power of the Unity Party once again.

Arthur was not surprised by Minister Grant's recommendation, and he didn't care.

For Arthur, as long as the Unity Party was under his control, it didn't matter who the Minister of Sports was.

After Arthur nodded, it was almost a foregone conclusion that Harry MacDowell would become the new Minister of Sports.

After the government made an official announcement, Harry MacDowell officially took office as Minister of Sports and carried out various reforms and improvements in sports for Australasia.

At Arthur's suggestion, Harry MacDowell had already begun preparations for the first football event in Australasia, the Australasia King's Cup.

The first edition was expected to be held in 1914, with subsequent editions every four years. It would become the most standardized, largest-scale, and most-watched football event in Australasia.

If all goes as planned, the first Australasia King's Cup will be held at the Australasia National Stadium, a large sports venue with a capacity for 50,000 spectators.

Arthur was looking forward to this new event, and the scale of the Australasia King's Cup would be international, making it a global football event.

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The specific organization and matters of the King's Cup were left to the Department of Sports and Harry MacDowell to take care of.

Arthur was happy to relax and just wait for the results of the sports department's planning.

As time went into mid-September, the number of tourists from Europe and the world not only did not decrease, but continued to increase.

More and more tourists also posed a challenge to Australasian public safety, causing many police officers, who were originally sent to Sydney to maintain order for the Olympic Games, to stay till now and not leave Sydney.

Secretary of Public Security Robert must be the busiest minister in recent times. With the large number of foreign tourists, their safety and social order have become the greatest challenges for the Australasian government.

No one dared to make any mistakes at this moment, as it could impact Australasia's international reputation and immigration attractiveness.

As is well known, Arthur attaches great importance to Australasia's international reputation and immigration attractiveness, which directly determines how many immigrants Australasia can attract.

If there were any mistakes in public security, not only domestic and international attention and accountability would be faced, but also Arthur's anger might be provoked.

Not only in the City of Sydney, but also in many famous tourist spots in Australasia, the security department temporarily dispatched additional police patrols to avoid any accidents.

Taking advantage of the increase in foreign tourists, Arthur issued a task to the Royal Security Intelligence Agency to closely monitor the situation of foreign tourists, and once notable scientists, physicists, chemists, and other talents from Europe and America were found in their ranks, notify Arthur immediately and try to win them over if possible.

It should be known that those who have the qualifications for international tourism, besides the upper-class and capitalist figures, could include internationally renowned experts and talents.

Any capable talent can easily obtain a well-paying job. For example, some famous European physicists and chemists, as long as they choose to work for their country, their salaries would easily exceed hundreds or even thousands of pounds.

And the income of a well-known university professor could also exceed a thousand pounds when all the various sources are added up. Such income can completely afford international travel, as these people are also considered part of the upper class of their respective countries.

If such talents come to Australasia, it would be a pity not to win them over.

Arthur's attitude towards talent is one of extreme eagerness. Without Australasia's consistent attention to talent and Arthur's perseverance in attracting talent from Europe at great cost, it would have been almost impossible for Australasia's various technologies to achieve such significant progress.

After receiving Arthur's orders, the Royal Security Intelligence Agency focused mainly on investigating foreign tourists.

Although the management of foreign tourists is not so strict in this era, it is still easy to distinguish the professional types of foreign visitors.

The primary goal of the Royal Security Intelligence Agency is to identify those tourists who appear to be scientific workers, then investigate their identities and backgrounds to determine whether they are the people Arthur is looking for.

After a half-month of collection and investigation, the Royal Security Intelligence Agency preliminarily identified at least 1,000 people out of several hundred thousand foreign tourists who seemed to be likely to engage in scientific research.

After another half-month of investigation, the Royal Security Intelligence Agency finally submitted a report to Arthur.

According to the rough investigation by the Royal Security Intelligence Agency, there are indeed a considerable number of actual scientific researchers among the tourists in Australasia.

About 40 of these researchers have a relatively high reputation in an individual country.

Of these 40 people, only one is truly internationally renowned. The remaining 39 are basically only well-known in their own countries or in their respective fields.

Although the number of these people is only 40, Arthur is not greedy at all. After all, for the talent acquisition plan in Australasia, this can be considered an unexpected surprise.

What pleased Arthur the most was the only internationally renowned researcher, who has a well-known name: Nikola Tesla.

Of course, Tesla has no connection to the well-known car company of later generations, he was a man who was extremely close to divinity.

The inventor of the extensive use of alternating current networks in Australasia was none other than the well-known Tesla.

After learning that Tesla was in Australasia, Arthur immediately ordered the Royal Security Intelligence Agency to monitor Tesla's every move and investigate why he came to Australasia and what he was doing before.

Speaking of Nikola Tesla, there are countless legendary stories behind him. Both the rivalry between him and Edison over direct current and alternating current, and the countless inventions and research throughout Tesla's life, are enough to make him one of the most famous inventors and physicists of the 19th and 20th centuries.

After receiving Arthur's orders, the Royal Security Intelligence Agency immediately launched an investigation into Tesla, even contacting some intelligence personnel in the United States.