DECISIONS FOR PROGRAMMING

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32568, 30 March 1971, Page 28

DECISIONS FOR PROGRAMMING

Three items which will have important bearings on the programming for the 1974 Commonwealth Games are included on the order paper for a meeting of the advisory committee of the Commonwealth Games Federation in London on May 17.

The first is to consider whether the fours, pairs, and singles in bowls should be played simultaneously, or whether the present system of the pairs and the singles being played together after the fours has been completed should continue

The present system allows a country to compete in all events with four bowlers, but necessitates either the bowling competitions starting several days before the Games opening ceremony, or for the competition to be conducted on a pool basis, which is considered by many to be unsatisfactory. The committee will also be asked to consider what form the badminton competition should take, the alternative being the present knock-out basis, or some form of pool system. This would probably encompass a round-robin type

of tournament, which it is believed the badminton control committee of the 1974 organising committee is looking at. If a continuation of the knock-out system is favoured, then the committee will consider whether there should be a plate competition for players and pairs teams eliminated in the first round. The third item which deals with sports programming has been broughi forward at the request of New Zealand. It is a call for the enlarging of possible shooting events to include running game and shotgun (clay pigeon and skeet). The other groups are fullbore rifle, small-bore rifle and pistol, and New Zealand’s proposal is that the host country shall nominate at least one event from each of the five groups with a maximum of nine events. The chairman of the 1974 Games sports committee (Mr H. C. Blazey) said yesterday that the federation’s decisions would be of considerable interest to his committee, and once they were known, the task of detailing the 1974 sports programme could be started.

Among other items the advisory committee will consider at its May meeting is whether tennis and team sports—in particular hockey and volleyball—should be added to the list of possible Commonwealth Games sports. An item which will greatly interest the Christchurch organising committee is whether it will be required to meet the travel and accommodation expenses of overseas technical officers required for sports events at the 1974 meeting. History suggests that it will. r