MEMO FROM THE PUBLISHER

As this issue appears, the seven members of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED's Olympic team are converging on Melbourne, where the Games begin on Nov. 22. Herewith, an exclusive Scouting Report.

ANDRE LAGUERRE. Assistant Managing Editor and Team Captain. Veteran Olympics reporter. Did outstanding job at Cortina last winter. Covered 1948 and 1952 Games for TIME while overseas bureau chief. Favorite sports: baseball and horse racing.

ROGER BANNISTER. Physician, author, SI's first Sportsman of the Year and newest Special Contributor. Ran first four-minute mile. Student of art and science of running. Look for intelligence, perception and humor in description of middle-distance events.

RICHARD MEEK. Staff Photographer since early experimental days. Will carry 300 pounds of equipment, eight cameras. Ran 440 in Richmond (Ind.) High School and can still cover ground fast at football games, track meets and horse races.

COLES PHINIZY. Team's first member to visit Australia on pre-Games scouting trip in 1955. Flies over next week after closing of Olympic Preview issue, which owes much to his long-term planning. Likes balloons, gliders, caves, aqualungs. Once swam for Harvard.

MARY SNOW. Bets on gray race horses and struggles to break 100 in golf. Expert on women's sports since prepublication days. Reported speed and figure skating from Cortina. Only accredited woman reporter from U.S. magazine at Melbourne.

ROY TERRELL. Native Texan. Newspaper sports editor before joining SI. Knows all sports. Among track and field stories this year: Santee, Sime, Drake Relays and Olympic trials. All-round athlete in high school. Played basketball at college.

JOHN ZIMMERMAN. As news photographer got first picture of Truman assassination attempt. Photographed Gold Cup hydros while hanging on at 140 mph (SI, Aug. 27). Played tackle, put shot. Likes camera challenge of sport for many approaches story gives.

Next week in the Olympic Preview issue, with 124 pages the largest issue of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED so far this year, you will be seeing the first of their reports.

SEVEN PHOTOS