Early Votes Support South African Ban

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31662, 24 April 1968, Page 19

Early Votes Support South African Ban

(N Z.P.A.-Reuter —Copyright) LAUSANNE. South Africa will know today whether she will be admitted to the Olympic Games at Mexico this year.

Votes from committee members were arriving at the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne all yesterday on an executive recommendation that the Republic be barred from the games.

Late last night, when 19 telegrams had reached the executive, the 1.0. C. president, Mr Avery Brundage, disclosed: “There have been more yesses than noes. . . At least 35 replies out of a possible 71 are necessary to make the ballot valid, with a simple majority deciding the issue, according to the 1.0. C. rules. BOWED TO PRESSURE

The recommendation to bar South Africa followed a stormy week-end of secret talks by the executive, during which the 80-year-old Mr Brundage was understood to have bowed to pressure from Mexico and Russia to exclude the Republic on the grounds of apartheid. The 1.0.C.’s decision has been welcomed by African countries and Russia, brought despair to South Africa, and was strongly attacked in Australia. Mr H. Weir, one of Australia’s two members, of the 1.0. C., said that the committee should cancel the games in October rather than submit to political blackmail. He said that he and the other Australian member, Mr L. Luxton, of Melbourne, had informed the 1.0. C. they were against the move to ban South Africa. ATTITUDE UNCHANGED Mr Weir is vice-chairman of the Australian Olympic Federation. He voted for the inclusion of South Africa in the Mexico games, and said that he had cabled the 1.0. C. stating that his attitude was unchanged. “1 sincerely hope those members who supported the

original motion for South Africa’s re-admission to these games will take similar action.

“This amounts to nothing less than political blackmail. It is history repeating itself. “The original Olympic Games were ordered to cease by a Roman Emperor because of dishonesty and political interference. They were revived by Baron de Courbertin in 1896 and now are in danger again,” Mr Weir added. “IMMORAL MOVE”

South Africa’s 1.0. C. representative, Mr R. Honey, said the executive’s move was “illegal and immoral,” and he called on the executive to resign. In a cable sent to the 1.0. C., Mr Honey protested against the executive’s decision to call for another vote on South Africa's readmission to the games. Mr Honey told the 1.0. C. that his cable was also being sent to every member “urging repudiation of the executive’s recommendation and resistance to the betrayal of Olympic principles.” Mr Honey’s statement was the most bitter protest from South African sporting leaders, who yesterday appeared resigned to the prospect that their country would not be represented at the Mexico games. Mr F. Braun, chairman of

the South African committee, claimed there was no guarantee that the new vote would be secret like the earlier one at Grenoble. “If that decision is to be challenged,” he said, “It can only be done by another congress at which South Africa is represented. We are not being given a chance to speak or defend ourselves. “It is legally quite wrong to take another vote on the same question in this way.”

Leaders of South African non-white sporting groups denounced the call for a new vote. Mr W. G. Stenhouse, president of the National Non-white Olympic Association, which was selecting nonwhite athletes for the games team, said, “This is a tragic blow to us ... . Our nonwhite sportsmen view this as a betrayal of faith.”

The South African Olympic committee will meet today to discuss the issue, but by that time the result of the new cable vote should be announced from Lausanne. The president of the Soviet Olympic Committee, Mr K. Andrianov, welcomed the 1.0.C.’s decision. The withdrawal of the invitation to South Africa “would meet with warm support in the African countries whose athletes would now be able to perform at a games where there would be no racialists.”