Sport And Politics

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32308, 28 May 1970, Page 14

Sport And Politics

Sir, —In your editorial, “Sport and Politics,” you asked why, since it was used against the South African Government, sport was not similarly employed to punish the Russian Government for its armed intervention in Hungary and Czechoslovakia. A good question, but your attempt to answer it remains unconvincing. In international affairs today there are two conflicts which outweigh all others—the conflicts between rich and poor and between black and white. Here, surely, Is the most significant distinction between the Russian and South African cases. In the South African case the protest is directed against racial discrimination and not, as you misleadingly suggest, against the Government’s anti-Com-munist posture. If the issue had been merely ideological, rather than racial, then protest might never have taken its present form; in particular, sport might never have been employed as a weapon by the protesters. The demonstrators are more anti-racists than pro-Communists.—Yours, etC " J. B. ATKINSON. Assistant Lecturer in Political Science, University of Canterbury. May 27, 1970.

Sir,—“The Walrus” and “X.U.K.” are still floundering round in your columns trying to obscure the basic fact that white South Africans are essentially slave-holders and intend to remain slave-holders. These laboured jets of darkness are one thing,' but the attempts to put haloes on Mr Vorster and company are another, and ludicrous to boredom. Our coming excursion into the politically controlled Rugby of South Africa will be seen in time for what it is, insensitive and selfish, but at the moment will provide travellers with a change from our Rugby-controlled politics. A recent cable message said that the New Zealand “working class” supported.the tour and a politician needs only half an ear to the ground to get that message.—Yours, etc., J. DUGDALE. May 27, 1970.

Sir,—Would “The Walrus” supply the names of any of the “between 30 and 50 per cent non-white athletes” who would have been in a South African Olympic team? In my absymal ignorance, I have never heard of one South African non-white Olympic athlete. Not that I doubt their existence, but as South Africa’s apartheid laws bar their competing against white athletes, or representing their country, the world has no knowledge of them. I reaffirm my belief that the South African Olympic Committee’s undertaking to choose athletes on performance only was a shoddy subterfuge to get an

all-white team into the games, for who believe that any black athletes would have been chosen? The 1.0. C. certainly did not. Merely to state that “the Bantu themselves support 80 per cent of apartheid” carries no weight His rejection of votes for black South Africans indicates damningly his peculiar conception of democracy. M.C.H. May 27, 1970.

Sir, —It looks as if South Africans at last realise that they must make some effort to do something about the apartheid problem after the cancelled tour by the M.C.C. Your paper reports from Johannesburg that the president of the South African Lawn Tennis Union, Mr Alfred Chalmers, plans to lead a delegation of sportsmen and officials to meet Mr Vorster. I wonder if the New Zealand Rugby Union still think they are making the right decision to send an All Black Rugby team with Maori players being made honorary whites after reading this article, as it looks as if New Zealand will get better results if this All Black tour is cancelled too, and South Africans might really realise that they are alone and must make some effort to think the same as the rest of the world. It takes great men to admit their mistakes. What about it, New Zealand Rugby Union?—Yours, etc., J. McP. May 26, 1970.

Sir,—From high and low, heavy pressure was put on the Prime Minister and his Cabinet to obtain Government authority to stop our top Rugby players from engaging the Springboks. That this pressure was given top consideration is to the great credit of the Government, which thereby proved its jealous regard not only for all people of our country, but also for New Zealand's standing in the Commonwealth and among nations outside it. Possibly its decision not to interfere awaited knowledge of the races represented by players selected to go. No decision could have been wiser, and “hats off” to our Government for making it. Had the British Government followed suit, and obliged South Africa to send a multi-racial team of cricketers, it would not have been . New Zealand’s present privilege to strike the first blow for integration. We are fortunate to have top-level thinking and wise Government.—Yours, etc., S. E. VENTY. May 26, 1970.