“Bowing Incident Must Never Occur Again ”

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30586, 31 October 1964, Page 19

“Bowing Incident Must Never Occur Again ”

(Special Correspondent NJZ.P.A) HONG KONG, October 30. A member of the International Olympic Committee has described the behaviour of a group of New Zealand athletes at the end of the Tokyo Olympic Games closing ceremony as utterly disgraceful and an insult to the Emperor of Japan.” Mr Hugh Weir, senior Australian member of the 1.0. C. and vice-chairman of the Australian Olympic Federation, said the 1.0. Q would make sure such an exhibition never occurred again at the Olympic Games.

Mr Weir said of the bowing by the New Zealanders before the Emperor’s box at the Olympic stadium: “This was an exhibition of stupidity. They not only bowed three times; they repeated it three times. It was a stupid act in extremely bad taste.”

Mr Weir said that the troubles that occurred with the Olympic closing ceremony were the fault of “a few stupid people who overdid the licence they were given.” “There are always a few exhibitionists who want to get up to something. The New Zealanders’ effort was utterly disgraceful and an insult to the Japanese people and to their Emperor.” Mr Weir said 1.0. C. members watching the “disgraceful scenes” at the closing ceremony were greatly concerned that the whole proceedings might have got completely out of hand. “This sort of thing only needed encouraging and

there could have been a riot,” he said. Mr Weir stressed that the troubles with the closing ceremony were no fault of the Japanese. Mr Weir said the Japanese did everything they were required to do in the closing ceremony perfectly and the trouble was caused only by a few exhibitionists among the visiting competitors. 1.0. C. members he had spoken to were determined that this would not happen again. Mr Weir is one of Australia’s two delegates to the 1.0. C. and a former president of the Australian Amateur Athletic Union. He is visiting Hong Kong on his return journey from Tokyo and gave the interview here today. Mr Weir was also sharply critical of the behaviour of some of the Australian athletes at the closing ceremony, but emphasised that it was only a few who had caused the trouble. He said the bowing incident by the New Zealanders at the end of the ceremony was probably prompted by the action of the Mexican team

which lined up and bowed correctly to the Emperor. The New Zealanders' bowing had been entirely different. “It was a rude and shocking exhibition,” he said.