Ski-ing Games Called “Farce”

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31041, 22 April 1966, Page 13

Ski-ing Games Called “Farce”

The intention of the British Ski Association to make the Commonwealth Winter Games an official event in the future received a setback at this year’s games at St. Moritz.

A letter from Miss J. Shiel, a leading New Zealand women’s competitor who attended the meeting, describes the Games as “a complete farce.” Miss Shiel’s comments on the games are included in a circular sent out by the New Zealand Ski Council. She says: “Only a limited number of British teams were there (one girl and four men). The organisation was poor, we couldn’t train the downhill as the course wasn’t sectioned off from the public. “We would have been far better off to go to a race with expenses paid and the courses and competition a bit harder,” she wrote. No Encouragement This statement by one of New Zealand’s leading skiers is unlikely to encourage the New Zealand Ski Council to support the British association. It will probably mean that there will be fewer entrants next year than there were this year. It is New Zealand’s present policy to promote its standard of ski-ing by overseas ventures of this nature, but if the world championship at Portillo, Chile, in August, were considered too expensive, then New Zealand is likely to be very suspicious of a proven failure like the Commonwealth Games. Miss Shiel’s comments have done no more than confirm

the low esteem in which this meeting has been held. The idea is sound, but a great deal of organisational work and public relations promotion are still required before New Zealand can support it. That the New Zealand .Council should repeat Miss Shiel’s comments in a circular supports this.