RESOLUTION ‘ILLOGICAL’

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32347, 13 July 1970, Page 15

RESOLUTION ‘ILLOGICAL’

N.Z. Seeks To Alter Motion (N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) EDINBURGH, July 13. New Zealand will seek to change a motion to come before the Commonwealth Games Federation in which New Zealand and Britain are charged with encouraging South Africa to defy world opinion and accelerate the policy of apartheid in sport. Australia was not named in the motion, to be put forward by Nigeria. The motion will come before the meeting of the federation on Sunday, July 19, when the vote will be taken on the venue for the 1974 Games. Melbourne and Christchurch are the nominees.

The Lord Mayor of Melbourne (Cr Ted Best)—a former Commonwealth Games athlete—said that his city, if selected for the. 1974 Games, would stage the “most impressive and outstanding games there have ever been. We have facilities right now in Melbourne to stage the Games.” Late on Friday, the chairman of the New Zealand Olympic committee and New Zealand delegate to the meeting (Mr Lance Cross), said in his view that the Nigerian resolution was quite illogical and unreasonable. “They singled out New Zealand and England and exclude Australia which has had greater sporting associations with South Africa over the last three years than either of us. My own feeling is that it can’t stand in its present form.”