Selection Panel’s Report On Empire Games Team

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28551, 2 April 1958, Page 15

Selection Panel’s Report On Empire Games Team

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, April 1. In a report to the New Zealand Olympic and British Empire Games Association accompanying the selection of the team for the British Empire Games in Cardiff, the selection panel says that, in general, the information made available by the national associations was, with certain exceptions, complete. I ‘‘We were impressed with the frank response to examination given by the representatives when submitting further details,” the panel says. “We would, however, support the recommendation that was made by the chairman of the 1954 panel, that ‘those sports not , having a standard of time or measurement to support their claims for selection should make a strong endeavour to provide their nominees with international competitions, should such be available. “Some associations were able to show that this had been attempted to some extent and others reported that endeavours to secure competition from Australia in particular, where the standard of most sport is high at present, had not been encouraging.” Improvement Noted

The panel was struck with the improvement in certain of the sports that came before it for review compared with submissions before the Olympic Games. “However, we consider it could possibly be unfair to competitors in events where merit can be gauged by times and distances and embarrassing to future selection panels that they should be expected to accept on their face value performances which are unsupported by any international competition or verifiable standard of assessment,” the report says. “The panel appreciates the motives that actuated the council in laying down the rule that the order of merit of national associations’ nominations should be adhered to strictly, but would point out that in certain circumstances this creates certain difficulties in reaching what should be an honest and logical conclusion from the evidence supporting nominations.” “In Dilemma” The selectors were placed in a dilemma with the boxing nominations which ranked two nom-

inees who performed with credit at the Olympic Games below a nominee who had no performances for 1957. "In this case the Olympic representatives are both national champions and are claimed to have improved considerably as a result of their Olympic experience. Had the selectors refused to include the nominee without any performances in 1957 it would have been unable to give any consideration to those lower ranked, including the Olympic representatives.” Referring to bowling selections the report says: "The selectors found themselves in real difficulty in assessing the merits of the bowling nominees as compared with the nominees of other sports. It is apparent that standards of selection normally applied to most sports are not necessarily applicable to bowls." The report says that two athletic nominations have been included in the team with certain conditions appended because of evidence that their performances are at present impaired by injury. If they had been excluded on this ground at this stage no consideration under the ranking system could have been given to lower-ranked athletes. “The selectors feel that this is a previously unforeseen complication but the conditional selection will meet the case without inflicting any injustice on other lower-ranked athletes. Checking of Gear “The selectors recommend that steps be taken by the British Empire Games Association to ensure that before the team departs all gear and equipment to be used in competition should be checked to see that it is efficient and is in good repair.” In an addendum to the report, the chairman of the selection panel (Mr E. B. G. Guy) says:— “In the light of my experience over three terms of chairing selection committees for your association, I have noted a mounting appreciation by national associations to consider the national rather than the sectional viewpoint in submitting their claims, and a growing realisation of the importance of seeking international competition as a basis of comparison. I think that if this tendency continues sport generally must benefit.”