Athletics AUST. UNION UPSET

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30126, 9 May 1963, Page 22

Athletics AUST. UNION UPSET

N.Z. Invitation “Ridiculous” (N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON, May 8. The Australian Amateur Athletic Union, in a letter tabled at last night’s meeting of the council of the N.Z.A.A.A., said the time in which invitations were sent for Australian athletes to compete in an international meeting at Auckland in March was “ridiculously short.” The letter said that one athlete had been invited to compete six days before the meeting and the other only four days before. It was unlikely the Australian union would have released the athletes, said the letter, and it hardly could have been expected to accept at such ridiculously short, notice. The council disallowed three New Zealand records as the application had not been lodged within the stipulated 30’ days.

The records were those of T. R. Heeps (Wellington) and J. N. Trathen (Nelson), with times of 9.6 sec for the 100 yards, and of D. Norris (Auckland), with a long jump of 24ft 9in.

An application was approved for a junior hammer throw record of 179 ft Ijin, by W. J. Nicholl, at Christchurch, on March 16.

The performances of Heeps and Trathen were achieved at Blenheim on March 23, The president of the Marlborough Amateur Athletic and Cycling Club (Mr B. E. Sinclair) said today that he was “positively astounded” by the N.Z.A.A.A.’s decision. As far as he was aware the applications were made well within the stipulated period. Advertising of firms or products on track suits or registration numbers of athletes is “not permissible” states a new ruling of the N.Z.A.A.A. Mr C. A. Blazey said that the International Amateur Athletic Federation ruled that although it was realised that in some countries athletic clubs were attached to firms and thus had the names of the firms on track suits and registration numbers, in general it frowned upon any form of advertising on track suits.

The meeting turned down applications from Spain, Finland, Poland, Switzerland, Germany and Japan to have top New Zealand athletes compete at meetings in those countries within the next two months.