No Penalty For Athletes If They Miss Titles

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30342, 18 January 1964, Page 13

No Penalty For Athletes If They Miss Titles

If an athlete wished to complete in the Sponsored international meeting in Otago on February 8 he was free.to do so in spite of the fact that it clashed with the first day of the Canterbury championships. It was entirely up to the athletes themselves, the Canterbury centre unanimously agreed last evening. Competitors in the sponsored meeting would in no way jeopardise their chances of being selected to represent Canterbury ait the New Zealand championships, the chairman (Mr J. E. Millar) said. This attitude is in direct contrast to that of the Canterbury Swimming Centre, which has been criticised for its decision to disregard any swimmers when choosing the provincial team for the national championships if they do not compete in the Canterbury titles. The following Canterbury athletes have been invited to compete in the international meeting in Otago: D. Mackenzie, A. Steel, G. Hack, B. Smith, G. Morris, B. Turner. G. Pyne, and M. Walls. Permisson was also granted for Turner, Walls, Mackenzie and D. Dixey to compete at the Otago centre’s annual festival meeting on January 27. Miss M. Chamberlain

was granted permission to travel to Auckland for an evening meeting on the same day. All applications were passed with the proviso that the athletes compete in the Dorrie Leslie meeting if selected. Children's Meeting A full-scale athletics meeting, open only to primary and intermediate school children from eight years upwards, will be held at Rugby Park on March 7, It will be open to all the school children, irrespective of whether they are connected to an affiliated club or not. The decison to hold the meeting was made after a letter containing suggestions for such a project was received from an executive member of the centre (Mr B. Curie). In the same letter Mr Curie offered his resignation, which was received with regret. Mr D. B. Rich (Anglican) was elected to the executive in his place. In his letter, Mr Curie said that the meeting should be open only to primary school children who were connected with an affiliated club, but this did not find favour with the meeting. The whole idea of the thing, as he saw it, was to bring new people into athletics, said Mr G. E. Voller.