TOUR BY SOUTH AFRICAN ATHLETES “Head-In-Sand” Attitude Attacked By Coach

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32145, 14 November 1969, Page 11

TOUR BY SOUTH AFRICAN ATHLETES “Head-In-Sand” Attitude Attacked By Coach

(New Zealand Press Association) • MASTERTON. A "head-in-the-sand” attitude has been taken by many athletes and athletic administrators over the whole question of whether a team of white South African athletes should visit this country this summer, said Mr T. J. Cairns, the New Zealand Coaches’ Association’s representative on the N.Z.A.A.A. management committee, today. .

Commenting on the Wellington centre meeting decision to support the tour, and to support the participation of the white South Africans in the 1970 national championships. Mr Cairns said that the delegates had failed to take into full consideration the implications of this action.

The executive of the coaches’ association had already indicated to the N.Z.A.A.A. that it was opposed to the tour. If the tour became a reality, Mr . Cairns said he believes that Christchurch

> would undoubtedly lose the Commonwealth Games. This would be a great blow to New ‘ Zealand track and field, he J added. "South African white athletes include only one top • runner of note, Paul Nash, the ■ sprinter, and there is no indii cation, to date, that he would

be included in the tour,” said Mr Cairns. A team, even with Nash, would cause very little stir, in normal circumstances, and even with South Africa’s monetary support, there are doubts that the visit would break even financially. Much emphasis had been placed on the non-mixing of sport and politics and on the “blackmail” of the non-white sporting bodies, but these issues had only been raised to camouflage the real points brought out by the International Olympic Committee, which had dismissed South Africa from the Olympic Games, and by the United Nations.

Moral Problem “The matter is fundamentally a moral one,” said Mr Cairns, “that all men are born equal and that all should be given equal opportunity, without discrimination because of race or colour. “People died during the last war for just this principle, and under normal circumstances sportsmen would

be expected to support it. “Many New Zealand athletes and coaches when asked for their opinion on the proposed tour prefer not to comment and take the attitude that if you ignore the business long enough it may go away.” Mr Cairns said that he ad-mired-athletes like Margaret] Snow and Rex Maddaford, who were willing to state their views to the press. The invitation to the South African athletes will be further considered by the N.Z.A.A.A. annual meeting in Wellington on November 21.