“Secret Report” Requested On Aust. Olympic Athletes

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30603, 20 November 1964, Page 15

“Secret Report” Requested On Aust. Olympic Athletes

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) SYDNEY, November 19. Sectional managers in the Australian Tokyo Olympic Games team have been asked to supply secret reports on their teams to the Australian Olympic Federation, E. E. Christensen reported in the Sydney “Sun.” Christensen’s article, carried across the newspaper’s entire back page sporting section, was accompanied by a photograph of a photostat from a letter to team section managers. The letter is from the general manager of the Australian team. Mr L. Curnow.

Commenting on the request, Christensen said: “Sports fans, including those who subscribed money to send the team to Japan, now will wonder just what revelations; if any, will be forthcoming*.” Mr Curnow asked in the letter that all reports from section managers be in his hands by December 5.

The Australian Olympic Federation secretary, Mr E. Tanner, has stated that there will be a full meeting of the federation in February, Christensen said. The suggestion that team managers make secret reports, which will not be published, will not be appreciated by the bulk of the athletes in the Australian team, Christensen wrote. Only a handful were responsible for the unsavoury aspects of the games tour and there is a feeling now that

these will be glossed over, he said. With so much money involved in sending an Australian team to the Olympics, the Australian public was entitled to know on what types of athletes it was spent, Christensen said. RADIO THEFTS He recalled that Mr Curnow said last week he would name the Australian athletes responsible for the theft of transistor radios in the Olympic village. “In fairness to the sections of the team which had an unblemished record in Tokyo, it is up to the A.O.F. to see that any blame is sheeted home to the athletes concerned,” he said. Christensen then listed a number of questions which, he said, must be cleared up, if the A.O.F. was to make a further approach to the public to finance an Australian team for the Mexico City Games. The questions included:— Who was involved in the transistor thefts? Why was no action taken against those responsible at the time? Why wag no action taken against oarsmen who stole a flag and became involved with police at the village?

Why several sports were allowed to send away team managers who tried hard but were not up to standard for their Jobs? Who decided which officials would use the free seats made available for the flight to Tokyo without reference to the full council of the A.0.F.? Why did the A.O.F. attempt to charge the last 25 athletes chosen in the Australian squad the full economy class air fare of £A4O3 and then book them into charter seats costing £A2SO each? TWO SECTIONS Most sectional managers will have nothing confidential to report about any of their members. Christensen said. “In fact, only two sections are likely to take advantage of Mr Curnow’s offer to submit secret reports. “These are the sections whose members stole the transistor radios, stole food from the village kitchen, and had a brush with the kitchen staff, tried to steal a bus, tried to start a steam roller with the intention of flattening the Australian team headquarters and generally made nuisances of themselves while other competitors were trying to rest” he said.