Swimming ’’Being Pushed Around”

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30499, 22 July 1964, Page 19

Swimming ’’Being Pushed Around”

The New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association’s selectors had made an honest appraisal of the country’s leading swimmers and had “pruned them right back” in making its nominations for the Olympic team for Tokyo, said Mr A. J. Donaldson, convener of the selection panel and chairman of the national council, in Christchurch yesterday.

But the New Zealand Olympic and British Empire Games Association’s selectors had seen fit to drop one of the three nominations, G. V. Ruzio-Saban, the national men’s breaststroke champion.

“We don’t like being pushed around,” declared Mr Donaldson. Ruzio-Saban would stay behind in New Zealand while the promising Australian breaststroke swimmer, P. H. Tonkin—who was beaten by the New Zealander at the national meeting at Blenheim in February—would compete for his country in Tokyo, be said. Ruzio-Saban’s best time placed him about seventeenth

in the world rankings for 200 metres breaststroke.

“This type of selection takes away all incentive,” said Mr Donaldson. “The selectors have just overlooked potential. They have just taken what can be termed the acme of success.”

The council, he said, would meet soon to discuss the selections.