SWIMMERS CRITICISED IN CENSORED REPORT

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30712, 30 March 1965, Page 15

SWIMMERS CRITICISED IN CENSORED REPORT

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) MELBOURNE, March 29. Four Australian Olympic swimmers expelled by the Amateur Swimming Union of Australia have been criticised in the official report of the Olympic swimming team manager. The 27-page report was issued by the swimming manager, Mr W. Slade.

"With the exception of four members, whom I will name in the latter part of my report, all members conducted themselves so to uphold the fine traditions of their country which they represented,” Mr Slade said in the foreword of the report. However, most of Mr Slade’s report on the behaviour of the four expelled girls—Dawn Fraser, Landa McGill, Nan Duncan and Mar-

lene Dayman—had been cut from the report, which was released to the press. PARTS CLIPPED Parts of three pages had been neatly clipped from the report. A note attached to the first page of the report read: “Certain items of this report have been deleted by direction of the A.S.U.A. conference held in Hobart, 1965.” What was left In the report, indicated that Mr Slade had made strong recommendations against the four girls. Under the heading of “Opening Day,” Mr Slade writes:

“AH who were forbidden to march accepted my decision that they remain within the confines of the village and watch the ceremony on television, with the exception of Misses Dawn Fraser and Marlene Dayman, who defied my request and the ruling of the A.S.U.A. by travelling with other athletes to the main stadium and marching.

BOARDING BUS “Misses Unda McGill and Nan Duncan intended to march but were detected boarding a bus by me.

“With the assistance of Mr Patching, the assistant general manager, I removed them from the bus and subsequently escorted them back, to their quarters. “Miss Duncan then remained in the village, but Miss McGill again left her quarters and the village to watch the opening ceremony from the competitors’ enclosure at the main stadium.”

Under the heading “Team Members,” Mr Slade reports: “With the exception of four, I considered team members acquitted themselves quite well, both in and out of the water.

IN THE MINORITY “Those who contributed towards blemishing the good name of the A.S.U.A. were in the minority,” Mr Slade said in a summary. “Senior members of the team, in my opinion, should have set a better example to the junior members, but in the case of Dawn Fraser, Linda McGill and Nan Duncan, they failed to do so.”