Ski-ing Team For Squaw Valley If Olympic Council Approves

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28897, 18 May 1959, Page 15

Ski-ing Team For Squaw Valley If Olympic Council Approves

The New Zealand Ski Association will send a team to the Olympic Games at Squaw Valley this year, provided the Olympic council gives its approval. This was decided at the annual meeting of the association on Saturday. The president (Mr R. S. Duncan) said that after the national championships in August, arrangements would be made for the New Zealand selectors to meet towards the end of the month to select a New Zealand team. The names would be presented to the association’s council for approval and would then be sent to the Olympic council. A member of the ski council would sit at that meeting as an advocate, but the final decision would rest with the Olympic council.

The North Island championships would be held at Mount Ruapehu on August 8 and 9 and South Island ski-ers would be invited to take part to give the selectors an opportunity to see them in action, Mr Duncan said. Mr Duncan said it was the association’s intention to have a period of instruction for the team before Christmas and to have those selected do some ski-ing on Mount Ruapehu. The snow conditions would be quite favourable there at a high altitude. The size of the team had not been decided yet, Mr Duncan said, but it would be a maximum of four men and two women and a manager. “As a national body we will nominate to the Olympic council only those who are suitable to go and who will represent New Zealand with credit,” he said.