Olympic Games Dispute Over Soviet Proposal

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29841, 6 June 1962, Page 15

Olympic Games Dispute Over Soviet Proposal

(N.Z. Press Association -Copyright)

MOSCOW. June 5. The president of the International Olympic Committee. Mr Avery Brundage, said yesterday he would fight renewed Russian efforts to reorganise the committee along naional lines. Mr Brundage said the Russian proposals "wou.j throw the whole Olympic movement into politics,” Associated Press reported. He said the U.S.S.R. had served notice they would submit their proposals at meetings of the committee in Moscow this week.

Mr Brundage said the Russians wanted a rule change to make presidents of all national Olympic committees and leaders of international sports federations members of the committee. This would involve an in-

crease in the committee’s membership from about 70 to about 200.

He said the Russian proposal also would increase the representation of Communist countries on the committee, which now' has only nine members from the Soviet bloc. The Communist bloc members had been defeated by an overwhelming vote in a similar attempt in Athens last year. The committee, which elects its members from among outstanding international sports figures, has never pretended to represent all nations participating in Olympic competitions. “This would turn the organisation into a sort of U.N.O. and would be unlikely to get any work done,” Mr Brundage said.