Mexico To Field Big Team

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31780, 10 September 1968, Page 19

Mexico To Field Big Team

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) MEXICO CITY. In keeping wiih the practice of previous host countries, Mexico has nominated its biggest Olympic team for the Games at Mexico City next month. Although the Mexicans are not confident of winning more than a handful of medals, they will be represented by 229 competitors. The altitude and rarified atmosphere are expected to cause some shock results at the Games and Mexicans are naturally hoping these will react in their favour. Mexico’s leading hope for a gold medal is the swimmer G. Echevarria, who holds the world 1500 metres freestyle record, ALTITUDE EFFECT Echevarria emphasised the energy-sapping effects of the high altitude by taking nearly a minute longer in a 1500 metres swim at Mexico City, soon after setting his world mark of 16min 28.1 sec in California.

Long distance events, requiring stamina, are also involved in Mexico’s chief hopes for success in the track and field programme. The standards at the recent Mexican national championships were generally well below the world’s best, but J. Pedranza in the 20 (12.4 miles) and 50 kilometre (31 miles) walks, and P. Garrido, in the marathon, look likely to feature in the Olympic struggle for medals. THREE GOLDS Mexico has won only three gold medals at previous Olympics. Although the Mexican women’s track and field team does not look as if it will menace the prospects of stronger nations, the 20-year-old 400 metres champion, Miss E. Basilio, is already assured of a unique place in Olympic history. She will be the first woman chosen to light the Olympic flame at the opening ceremony. Mexicans have always shown most interest in football and boxing, and naturally they are hoping their soccer team can win the Olympic tournament

—a stepping stone to the World Cup to be held in Mexico in 1970. WORLD VIEWING The Olympic television programmes, beamed by satellite round the world, will start on October 6 with a welcome by Mexican youth to all other young people. An announcement from Mexico City said the youth welcome would be followed five days later with the arrival of the Olympic flame at the Aztec pyramids at Teothhuacan, near Mexico City. The opening ceremony on October 12 will be televised live and will be followed by regular programmes of the various sports, ending with the closing ceremony on October 27. It is estimated that 500 million viewers will be able to watch the Games beamed from North America to Europe and Japan. LIQUOR BAN Curfews will be imposed on Australian Olympic competitors in Mexico City, and liquor banned from the Australian Olympic village, according to the general man-

ager of the Australian team (Mr J. Patching), in Sydney yesterday. Liquor would not be allowed in the Australian village in any circumstances, he said. There has always been an unwritten ban on liquor for Australian Olympic teams at the Games but this is the first time that the order has been given officially, and so lyHANDS OFF Australian women Games athletes have been barred from raising the hems on their mini-skirted uniforms. Mr Patching said yesterday that he had applied the ban for the sake of “uniformity.” “While micro-minis may look good on some of the girls, they wouldn’t on others," Mr Patching said. The uniforms, designed by Dame Zara Holt, wife of the former Prime Minister, are hemmed 3in above the knee. Dame Zara said after some women athletes expressed the desire for shorter skirts: “I'm all for the short style.” But Mr Patching said: “It Is taboo for the girls to touch their hemlines.”