Taking Place Of Russians U.S. PAYING COSTS OF N.Z. ATHLETES

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31112, 15 July 1966, Page 15

Taking Place Of Russians U.S. PAYING COSTS OF N.Z. ATHLETES

(N.Z. Press Association —Copynpht) SYDNEY. The Australian and New Zealand athletics teams for the Empire Games will replace Russia in a match against the United States in Los Angeles on July 23 and 24, it was announced in Sydney yesterday.

The Russians withdrew from the meeting in protest against American bombing of North Vietnam.

The secretary of the Australian Amateur Athletic Union (Mr A. Hodsdon) announced agreement on ’ the new arrangements made with the Americans. The Australian track and field team will travel to Jamaica as arranged next Tuesday, but will make a 5500-mile trip to Los Angeles for the meeting. The organisers of the meeting have agreed to pay the fares of New Zealand’s track

and field athletes from Auckland to Los Angeffes, and then from there to Jamaica. Other members of the New Zealand Games team will fly direct to Jamaica under group travel arrangements already made. Clarke Will Run The Australian team will; comprise 22 men and 11 women, and the New Zealand squad 12 men and four women. Mr Hodsdon said that the organisers of the Los Angeles meeting had contacted Australia’s record-breaking distance runner, R. G. Clarke, now in Europe, and Clarke had agreed to rearrange his schedule to compete in Los Angeles. A. Cook, the Australian sixmile and marathon runner, would accompany Clarke from Europe. Two New Zealand distance runners also in Europe, W. D. Baillie and I. S. Studd. would join their national team in Los Angeles. It was reported from Los Angeles that the director of the meeting. Mr G. Davis, had enlisted Clarke to recruit several more of the world's' outstanding track and field performers while in Europe.

Among those Clarke hopes to get are K. Keino (Kenya), M. Gamoudi (Tunisia), and K. Sawaka (Japan). Mr Davis also indicated that he was still in contact with officials of the West German and British teams. Both countries were trying to rearrange their schedules in order to permit their teams to compete at the meeting.