CLAIM TO 1974 GAMES

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32321, 12 June 1970, Page 12

CLAIM TO 1974 GAMES

Sports organisations in 30 Commonwealth countries will be visited by the New Zealanders going to Edinburgh next month to advance Christchurch’s claim to the 1974 Commonwealth Games. The six members of Com monwealth Games Promotion going to the games in Edin

burgh have been formed into three teams and will take different routes to Britain travelling through Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. The leader of the delegation, Mr R. S. Scott, with Mr H. T. Dean, will visit Mauritius, Tanzania, Zambia, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Jersey, Guernsey, Gibraltar and England on their way to Scotland. Messrs H. C. Blazey and E.

H. Williams will go to Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, India, Pakistan, Malta and Wales. Messrs M. F. Hunter and N. B. Ullrich will travel via Fiji, Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, Guyana, Bahamas, Dominica, St Lucia, Antigua, Canada, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man. Each of the teams will have a manual detailing New Zealand facilities, services and conditions. Each will have a 15-minute colour film made by the New Zealand National Film Unit.

In the United Kingdom the delegation will be reinforced by four members of the executive of the organisations who will have gone to Britain independently—Messrs A. I. Cottrell and R. C. Webb; Mr B. R. Walker, manager of the New Zealand rowing team in Mexico; and Mr A. Mackenzie, the Canterbury Relations Officer.

The Mayor of Christchurch (Mr A. R. Guthrey), will join the delegation from July 14 to July 20, and the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr Seath) will represent the Government at. two functions in Edinburgh. A New Zealand room would be established in Edinburgh, Mr Scott said. It would include details of the proposed games facilities in Christchurch in model, diagrammatic and photographic form.

On July 15, the day before the opening, there would be a New Zealand luncheon to which each country would be invited. This would feature New Zealand food and wines. A larger but less formal function will be held on July 18 when there will be New

Zealand beer and oysters served, and entertainment will be given by the National Band of New Zealand and the Maori concert party which will have visited Expo 70 and Moscow.

The New Zealand application will be presented formally at a meeting of the Commonwealth Games Federation on July 19.