Mexican Move To Ban S. Africa

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31653, 13 April 1968, Page 15

Mexican Move To Ban S. Africa

(N.Z.P.A -Reuter—Copyright)

MEXICO CITY. Mexico will seek to make invalid the International Olympic Committee’s decision to readmit South Africa to the Mexico City Games, a source close to the organising committee said yesterday.

General Jose de Jesus Clark Flores, the Mexican vice-president of the 1.0. C., will propose a motion to this effect when the 1.0. C. executive meets in Lausanne on April 20-21, according to the source.

Mexico wants to avert a threatened Afro-Asia boycott of next October’s games, but neither General Clark Flores nor Mr Pedro Ramirez Vasquez, president of the Olympic organising committee, was available for confirmation. Last month, they made public an appeal to the 1.0. C. president, Mr Avery Brundage, urging invalidation. They argued that unless two-thirds of the 1.0. C. membership voted for South Africa’s readmission, the decision contravened 1.0. C. regulations. Segregation Persisting

Mexico’s argument is that although South Africa might field a racially-integrated team in the October games, racial segregation would persist within South Africa. Sources close to the organising committee said that while they had no official figures, they believed a total of 66 1.0. C. members had voted on the re-admission motion, 38 of them in favour.

In such a total vote, 44 favourable ballots would be required to carry the Mexican proposal. This is based on 1.0. C. Rule 50, which states [that an 1.0. C. regulation can ibe modified only if at least two-thirds of the members

present at a session vote in favour of the modification. General Clark Flores is due to leave for Lausanne next week, accompanied by Mr Ramirez Vasquez and the Mexican 1.0. C. member, Mr Marte Gomez. Only General Clark Flores will attend the meeting.