Basketball’s Olympic Target ‘Too Ambitious’

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31669, 3 May 1968, Page 13

Basketball’s Olympic Target ‘Too Ambitious’

The proposal to send a men’s basketball team to the Olympic Games in Munich in 1972 was “too ambitious” and should be dropped, the South Island vice-president of the national association, Mr M. A. Henshall, of Christchurch, said yesterday. In relation to the present playing standard and the sport’s financial position the plan was impracticable, he said Mr Henshall made this comment after considering an article in “The Press” earlier this week, which criticised the New Zealand Men’s Basketball Association for raising

affiliation fees to pay for the Olympic team’s build-up for Munich. He said that proposals Involving reciprocal tours with Japan, supported by sponsorship and shared financially with Australia, should be approved by all district associations. But the proposal to increase affiliation fees to $lO a senior team next season had little chanee of being accepted at the next annual conference. Although the present scheme was far too ambitious, associations should net lose sight of the many hour* of voluntary work done by members of ths national tours committee In recent yean. •This committee in no way dominates the fiatitiow tt th* national council regarding tours and, While many associations may not agree with the ideas proposed, touring must

continue to have some place in basketball activity and development,” Mr Henshall said.

“In the final analysis the player, through his\ district association, must decide whether or not international touring on either a full or limited basis is to be part of the New Zealand basketball scene. If he and sufficient others decide in the affirmative then, because of the very nature of basketball structure in New Zealand, he must be prepared to some extent to ‘pay the piper’,” said Mr Henshall. “I have considered the article relating to proposals concerning future tour* and find that I am generally in agreement with the message conveyed by the writer, but t would take the opportunity of conunentiaf more ipecificauTon th. iL* which Save rite to the article. “A report of the tour* Subcommittee had been considered at the recent annual

meeting of the national association, but it had only been issued three weeks beforehand and delegates representing district associations might not have had an opportunity to give the contents (the fouryear plan) full consideration. “Consequently, a majority of delegates had not been prepared to approve the proposals contained in the report. Instead, they had approved a tours levy for 1968 which would enable the overseas tours fund, which had a balance of only $387 at the end of 1967, to be somewhat re juvenated. “This allowed district associations a further year in which to consider the full text of the proposal* and the substantial cost, payable •ultimately by the player, Involved,” Mid Mr Henshall. “I consider that this was a proper decision to reach at this stage. It is now over to each association to consider the matter.”