South African Games cause no thunder

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 38183, 24 March 1973, Page 48

South African Games cause no thunder

(From JEROME CAMIN ADA, of “The Times.' through N.Z.P.A.) PRETORIA. No thunderclaps were heard and no temples toppled to the ground in Pretoria as South Africa’s most conservative city (made its last preparations to be host to the first multi-national ■ South African Games which begin today.

The minority of citizens who regard the (white race as being (threatened made sacri(flees to the gods this (week in the form of small demonstrations | with placards. But there was no answer-! ing rumble from the heavens,! and life outwardly goes on as | before. Inwardly, this may be another step towards full multi-racial sport with competing teams composed of mixed races instead of separate races, as is the case in these games. But in South Africa today no bridges are crossed until they have been reached. FOREIGN NON-WHITES Even on this occasion men! or women of different races; may appear in individual; competition, as has happened before in athletics in South Africa. The games organisers are keeping their cards of whatever colour close to their chests, for fear that they will be trumped byactive organisations abroadj but I did establish that some l

non-white foreign individual competitors could be appearing. So far, about 200 competitors and officials have gathered in Pretoria, out of a total of more than 500 invited. In order to limit the cost of the games, which last I two weeks, competitors will I not stay throughout, as is the case with the Olympic Games, but will come for their particular event or events and then leave. COMMUNISTS INVITED Communist countries were invited to send all gold medal winners at the last Olympics, but none replied. African countries were also invited to send their champions, but again none replied, with the exception of Kenya, which declined. The police are on guard outside the new hotel which has been turned over to the competitors, and in the airconditioned interior every visitor is checked closely. The police commissioner has said that any attempt to interfere with the games will be dealt with firmly, but apart from the grumbles about the city’s parks being open to all races during the

'games and the theft of six large games flags, there has been no real trouble.

i The white protesters have 'had one success in getting • the soccer events, in which [separate white. African, Indian and Coloured teams iwill compete, moved from • Pretoria to the Rand stadium •in Johannesburg. The first (two matches—Whites v. • Coloureds and Africans v

[lndians —take place on Monday night. This competition is the [pinnacle of the games, and ■the Africans are favourites on [form, even though strictly [there is no interracial form. [All seats in the stadium, [which has a capacity of !about 38,000, have been sold. Half the seats were allocated for whites on one side of the ground and half for non-whites on the other [side.

Reuter reports that about [4OO sportsmen and sports--1 women from 37 foreign [countries are among 1500 • white and non-white compel)I tors for the games. 1 Originally, it was forecast that 500 overseas competitorwould take part, but some either declined invitations to compete or withdrew, mainly because of pressure from national bodies.

In an attempt to counter pressure on foreigners, the names of competitors and their countries have not yet been fully disclosed.