Athlete Will Not Visit N.Z.

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32073, 22 August 1969, Page 1

Athlete Will Not Visit N.Z.

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, August 21. The Olympic 5000 metres champion, Mohamad Gammoudi, of Tunisia, will not accept the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association’s invitation to come here this summer, the president of the South African Non-racial Open Committee for Sport, Mr Dennis Brutus, has told the Citizens’ Association for Racial Equality in Auckland.

Mr Brutus said in a letter that Gammoudi had told him that he would not accept the invitation because of the policy of New Zealand athletes supporting South African racist sport.

Mr Brutus also said that Olympic 400 metres champion, Lee Evans, had told a reporter that all United States Negro athletes and most United States white athletes would take part in the boycott.

They Were annoyed with British and New Zealand participation in the South African white games.

Evans, a Negro, said to a reporter: “We are very aware of the sufferings of our black brothers in South Africa. We want them to know we are completely behind them.” The Olympic 1500 metres champion, Kip Keino, and other African athletes recently refused to compete against British and New Zealand athletes in Los Angeles because of their participation in South Africa’s games. The Olympic 200 metres champion, Tommy Smith, of the United States, and black power salute fame, had also

announced his intention not to compete with teams that compete with South African segregated teams.