Mexico Takes Dispute To I. O. C.

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31660, 22 April 1968, Page 20

Mexico Takes Dispute To I. O. C.

(N.Z. Press Assn. —Copyright) LAUSANNE. Mexico, the host country for the Olympic Games in October, yesterday made clear to the International Olymoic Committee its position regarding South Africa’s readmission to the games. Associated Press reported. The nine-man executive board of the 1.0. C. met under the presidency of the 80-year old American, Mr Avery Brundage, to discuss South Africa’s readmission. After a five-hour meeting, Colonel John Westerhoff, sec-retary-General of the 1.0. C., said: “Regarding the South African issue, the whole question was reviewed up to date in the context of the world situation. “No decisions were taken. Only information was conveyed. The organising committee of Mexico reported on developments and on how uncertainty affected their final arrangements." The committee will reconvene today to thrash out the whole problem in a bid to keep the Olympic Games in Mexico a major event and not a “mini-Olympics". Russia recently “insisted” that the 1.0. C. must change its decision allowing South Africa back into the games. General Flores de Clark. Mexico's representative on the 1.0. C. executive board, claimed before the meeting yesterday that he bad promises from 24 members of the congress that they would back him in calling a special meeting to reconsider the South African question if the

executive board did not make a definite decision. Twenty-four is the minimum number of members necessary to call a special meeting of the congress. But Mr Brundage was adamant on his arrival from South Africa yesterday that the postal vote taken by the whole 1.0. C. committee could not be reversed by a minority such as the executive board. Mr Brundage has stated that he wants the 1.0. C. to stand by the readmission decision, Reuter said. He told reporters in Geneva: “If any organisation takes a decision and a min ority wishes to review it with in a month, and the decision is changed, what is to prevent another minority from asking for another review?” Challenged on whether opposition to South Africa was still in the minority, Mr Brundage smiled, and said. “I do not know.” Observers here feel that the future of the Mexican games will depend largely on Mr Brundage’s ability to persuade his eight colleagues that South Africa’s offer to send a multi-racial team is an en couraging sign. Delegates refused to com ment on the prospects of a settlement. But Mr Armand Massard, of France, said it was a pity there were objections over South Africa. He said the Mexico games would be the first move by South Africa towards multi-racial sport. Lord Killanin said he was surprised that some countries were calling for a two-thirds majority on the South African question instead of a simple majority. As he understood it, a simple majority was all that the constitution required in this case. “But, no doubt, this will be one of the things we t

shall be discussing,” he added. On Friday, there was a flare up of the dispute . between Mexico and the -1.0. C., when the Mexico games committee president, Mr Pedro Ramirez Vasquez, told journalists that letters from Colonel Westerhoff asking Mexico to invite a South African team did not carry any official weight. International Olympic Committee officials countered that countries usually accepted correspondence from the 1.0. C. secretariat as carrying the weight of an official request. Mr Brundage’s announcement in Johannesburg that he had personally sent the Mexicans a request to ask South Africa should satisfy their demands they added. Observers have suggested

that Mexico wants to avoid alienating African countries and is unwilling to invite South Africa until asked to do so publicly by Mr Brundage. South Africa on Friday handed in its provisional team entry of 90 white and nonwhite athletes for the Olympics. The list was given to Mr Brundage before he left Johannesburg for Lausanne. It was reported from Blantyre that Malawi has applied to participate in this year’s Olympics in spite of threats by most African nations to boycott the games because of South Africa’s participation. Malawi, last December, became the first independent black African state to open diplomatic relations with South Africa.