British Olympic Selection System Has Good Features

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28161, 27 December 1956, Page 10

British Olympic Selection System Has Good Features

J.JR IT AIN’S system of teams for the Olympic Games, which has been suggested in some quarters as a possible solution to New Zealand’s selection problems, does not seem applicable to this country without considerable modification. But even if no basic changes are made, the New Zealand system could be improved by adopting some of the British principles. In Britain, no provisional list! of nominations is made public, nor is any order of merit pub-i lished by either the national controlling sports oodies or the' British Olympic Association. Each: sport is solely responsible fori selecting its individual representa- i tives, but the number to represent each sport is determined by : negotiations between the individual sports organisations and the British Olympic Association. Horrified The British Olympic high jump; representative. Peter Wells, who i is now living at Amberley, had the opportunity of discussing the British system with Mr K. S. Duncan, the secretary of the Bntj ish Olympic Association, while in | Melbourne for the Games. Mr : Duncan was horrified that the j size of a team should be decided I at a round-table conference, as [ practised in New Zealand, where [ each sport argued for representai tion. i “Two years before the Games. ; Mr Duncan works out a rough •cost for each team member." said ’Veils, “and a rough estimate ■ of the team size is made. A i national appeal for funds is then : launched. About a year later. • Mr Duncan works out a very accurate cost and assesses the : progress of the appeal.” Sports Quota A former athlete, Mr Duncan : keeps himself thoroughly acquain- ' ted with the standard in Britain • of each of the sports entitled to : Olympic representation and works ; out an approximate quota oi representation for each sport, taking into consideration the ultimate size of the team. He then holds discussions with the secretaries of each of the individual ' sports bodies, which then hola meetings and report back to the Olympic association on what thej think their representation should be and usually this is very close to Mr Duncan’s calculations. ' The system had proved very I satisfactory, said Wells, but be- ; cause sports teams m Britain i have frequent international com- ' petition with other European

countries, it was much easier to assess liability within sports than was the case in New Zealand. Each sport affiliated to the Olympic association was automatically entitled to one representative. Sports could not finance any. of their members to the Games! independently, said Wells. Any' funds raised must be paid into] the general fund. This year the. Scottish diver, Peter Healey, who; competed at the Empire Games! in Auckland, was not chosen and; Scotland had offered to raise the; additional money to send him.; Scotland was informed that any I money it raised would have to be paid into the general funds and, then a decision would be made! on which sport was entitled to, the additional member. Ranking Each sport submitted its list of nominations to the Olympic association. said Wells. A sport might nominate 55 and then be told that only 50 could be included in the team. The decision on who would be left out was the responsibility of the sport concerned. The remaining five members would be included on a priority ranking list with mem-! bers from other sports, who had; • been admitted. If additional; [funds later became available, them one or more of the sports would | be told that it might name additional members. I SUBSTANTIAL BUBBLE One of the popular legends i among those who sit beneath the I trees at the Hagley cricket oval on a Saturday is that the St.; I Albans left-hander. J. Smith, has. i what used to be known as the Indian sign on bowlers in the! Old Boys team. But this legend; is something of a fable, if a i prime example of how a reputa-[ [tion. once won, is hard to shed.! : In the first post-war season.! Smith scored 61 and 9 against’ Old Boys, and the next season! made 41 and 145. Four innings; ; against Old Boys in 1947-8; i brought him only 44 runs, but; ! the story was well founded by| his splendid performance in 1948-i 9. when he made 107 not out and 46 not out. Ever since then. [Smith has often been mentioned! i as the batsman who always makes! [runs against Old Boys—this although in the last 13 innings; ihe has only reached 50. Smith, i has had a remarkably successful’ • career in senior cricket, but not.; I particularly, against Old Boys, j