SEGREGATED SPRINT RACES Asati And D'Arcy Are Kept Apart

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32251, 20 March 1970, Page 1

SEGREGATED SPRINT RACES Asati And D'Arcy Are Kept Apart

The possibility of a confrontation between the visiting Kenyan athlete, C. Asati, and the New Zealand 100 metres champion, L. D’Arcy, in the Kaiapoi track and field meeting at Lancaster Park tomorrow and Sunday has been averted.

The two runners have been segregated by the decision of the Canterbury Athletic Centre to hold separate races over 100 and 200 metres.

Asati and D’Arcy have entered for both events, but the Kenyan, under the ban imposed by his Government, cannot compete against D’Arcy because the New Zealander competed against South Africans in the last three years. “Because of the big fields for these events, we will hold separate races for each of the distances,” the president of the Canterbury centre (Mr B. H. Kerr) said yesterday. INVITATION RACES "Asati will compete in the invitation 100 metres and the invitation 200 metres, and D’Arcy will run in the Auckland v. Canterbury Commonwealth Games trial events.” The Kenyan Government’s action was discussed at a special meeting of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association in Wellington yesterday. The management committee afterwards issued a statement which said that no New Zealand athletes

were to be withdrawn, or requested not to compete, in any event at the Kaiapoi meeting. A statement also added: “It has been clearly established that Laurie D'Arcy had withdrawn from the 100-metre event at Auckland last night (Wednesday) some days be fore the arrival of the Kenyan athletes.” Commenting on the directive, Mr Kerr said: “The only person involved is D’Arcy and he will be running in his own events. NOT AFFECTED “The directive from the N.Z.A.A.A. is quite unnecessary as far as we are concerned. No situation can occur here that could be reI solved by such a directive.” D’Arcy confirmed yesterday that he did not stand down in Auckland on Wednesday night from the 100 metres because of Asati’s threat to withdraw.

“I wrote to the secretary of the Auckland centre the week before the meeting, tell ing him I would only be running in the 200 metres, as 1 thought I had a better chance of reaching the Commonwealth Games qualifying time in that event

“The Canterbury centre has invited me to contest both the 100 and 200 metres events and

if the invitation still stands, I am going to stick to my 1 guns.

“At Auckland, I was not keen to run in both the 100 and 200 metres, as they were on the same night. But the events are on different days at Christchurch.” D’ARCY INTRIGUED

The Wellington athlete described the refusal of Kenyan athletes to race against him as “quite a laugh.” “It is certainly not going to upset me. I’m just interested in qualifying for the Commonwealth Games; I couldn’t care less who I race against,” D’Arcy said. “What intrigues me is why the Kenyans bothered to come here if they insist on stipulating whom they race against. I don’t see how they can accept an invitation to compete and then make conditions."

The secretary of the N.Z.A.A.A. (Mr D. MeGaughran) said yesterday: “The N.Z.A.A.A. extended the invitation to the Kenyan athletes on behalf of the Canterbury centre and it was accepted without reservations. We have never received any official or unofficial notification that the Kenyans were not going to aittend or had refused to compete against athletes that attended Hie Sofrth African Games.” “IRONIC SITUATION” Asked his views on the Kenyan ban of D'Arcy, the visiting Jamaican, B. Dyce, who ran the world’s fastest 800 metres last year, said that it was most unfortunate. “The way this is turning out is really ironic,” Dyce said. “It’s creating more of a separation than ever and it’s the athlete who is getting hurt. All he wants to do is to compete.”