U.N. Urges Boycott Of S.A. Sport

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32274, 17 April 1970, Page 14

U.N. Urges Boycott Of S.A. Sport

(N.Z.P. A.-Reuter—Copyright)

NEW YORK, April 16.

The United Nations Special Committee on Apartheid yesterday called for a boycott of all South African sports organisations.

It issued a statement after it had heard the American tennis star, Arthur Ashe. Ashe, banned from the South African Open championships, appeared before the committee as a petitioner and urged that South Africa be isolated in the sporting field. The committee statement urges that a United Nations general assembly resolution of 1988, asking all States and organisations to suspend sporting exchanges with South Africa and with organisations there which practise apartheid, should be strictly carried out. It draws the attention of Britain and New Zealand to this resolution and says: “In these countries, most sport bodies of South Africa have

been able to arrange exchanges in spite of vigorous protests by opponents of racism.”

The committee also expresses support for a proposal that the International Olympic Committee, when it meets in Amsterdam on May 7, should expel South Africa from the Olympic movement.

New Zealand would have voted against a United Nations resolution calling on the suspension of sporting exchanges with South Africa if there had been an opportunity, the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake) said in a statement to the New Zealand Press Association tonight. “The resolution referred to was one paragraph in a much longer resolution on which New Zealand abstained,” Mr Holyoake said. “If there had been an opportunity to vote on that paragraph independently New Zealand would have voted against it.

“That would have been consistent with the Government s policy of non-interference in the affairs of sporting bodies.”