PLAYERS’ PETITION

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30760, 26 May 1965, Page 13

PLAYERS’ PETITION

Politics In Sport

(N.ZP.A.-Reuter—Copyright)

PARIS, May 25.

Thirty-six of the world’s leading tennis players yesterday signed a petition asking the Wimbledon organisers to take steps to prevent a recurrence of last year’s political scratchings by Russians and other East European players. The players’ move came 24 hours after the Russian, T. Lejus, had withdrawn from the French championships in which he was due to meet the South African, C. Drysdale. The reason given for' Lejus’s scratching was that he was not fit; The Russians and other East Europeans caused a storm last year by refusing to play South Africans because of South Africa’s apartheid policy. Almost all the top men players in the world and some of the leading women have signed the petition, the player who organised it told, P.A. Reuter. He said: “We do not like the Russians bringing politics into sports and we are concerned about the fact that they deprive other players of the chance to play. “We could have, got 150 names for the petition if we had wanted to . We asked 40 players. Only two said they did not want to sign. Two others said they would let us know later, but we already have enough to show the feeling of the players.”