NO GAMES SKI ING?

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32522, 4 February 1971, Page 22

NO GAMES SKI ING?

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) MEGEVE (France). All ski-ing events, both Alpine and Nordic, will be withdrawn from the Winter Olympic Games at Sapporo, Japan, next year, if an attempt to disqualify leading Alpine skiers for alleged professionalism succeeds. This was stated by the president of the International Ski Federation (Mr M. Hodler). He told a news conference that in such an event

world ski-ing championships would probably be held at Sapporo directly after the Games. Mr Avery Brundage,.president of the International Olympic Committee, has organised a postal vote through a questionnaire to about 70 1.0. C. members, asking them if certain top Alpine ski racers should be eligible for the Olympic Games after taking part in a training camp organised by a United States skiboot manufacturer in Mammoth Mountain, California, last summer. He also asked in the circular if a certain skier—believed to be World Cup

; holder, K. Schranz (Austria) i—is eligible for the Olympics I if, as Mr Bundage alleges, he | received between $50,000 and [560,000 a year from the sport. Mr Hodler said he had been in contact with about 15 1.0. C. members so far and “the great majority” questioned the validity of the questionnaire and would not answer it.

He thought Mr Brundage was mistaken in thinking he could maintain Nordic Ski-ing in the Olympic programme if the Alpine events were withdrawn. He said it was the Scandinavians, who dominate Nordic ski-ing, who first proposed changes in the Olympic rules which would enable Alpine skiers to compete while receiving fair compensation for the long months they must devote to their sport during their brief racing careers. Under the proposals, skiers would get set subsidies from their national federations instead of the present “under-the-table” payments from manufacturers.