South African Tennis Racist Basis Claimed

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31991, 19 May 1969, Page 12

South African Tennis Racist Basis Claimed

An effort to get the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association to instruct its delegates to a meeting of Davis Cup tennis nations, to be held in London in July, to vote for the expulsion of the South African Lawn Tennis Union, is being made by the Citizens’ Association for Racial

Eqnality. The association has circulated a petition to this effect for presentation to the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association, and asks that the petition should be signed and returned before June 18, so that the signed forms can either be sent to the tennis authorities, or presented by a deputation. The circular says that Poland and Hungary have tabled a motion for the London meeting that the South African tennis union should be expelled from the ,Davis Cup competition. “It'is a well-established fact that the South African Lawn Tennis Union is a racist body which restricts its membership to white South Africans, and no non-white South African can represent South

Africa in international competitions,” the circular says. “If this racist body is expelled, the way will be cleared for South Africa to be represented by a non-racial body , .. which could remove its membership restriction to conform with the standards in sport which are acceptable in every other country.”

The circular says that in previous efforts to expel the union, New Zealand has used its “very considerable voting strength” to support the South African union.