FUN AND GAMES

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33446, 30 January 1974, Page 2

FUN AND GAMES

(From staff reporters and N.Z.P.A.) Irish coffee? The announcers at Queen Elizabeth II Park raised a cheer or two with the .occasional error during yesterday’s track and field events. The first was when one announced that “the bar in the pole vault is now up to 2.12 metres, 6ft lllin.” The event was, of course, the high (jump and even the New Zealand resident record is greater—much greater—than 7ft. Then at the end of a long, hard day, Mary Peters was announced as a representative of Nigeria. Merely a little confusion between the abbreviations for Nigeria and Northern Ireland. Shooter hooter

A shot is used to start athletics, swimming, and cycling events at the Commonwealth Games, but how are shooting events started? Quite simply —a good loud hoot on a horn is blown over the loudspeaker system. Games pyjamas The trendy official Games shirts worn by officials are in short supply. The problem is that the surplus material —which is red with small white Games symbols—was made into shortie pyjamas. “Even the pyjamas are in short supply,” Mr Scott said. “As for the shirts, there are only two dozen left in our stocks and these are being kept for emergencies.” He said that, if any of the two dozen were left, they would be offered first to team managers. Play it again, Sam The popular marching display given by the New Zealand Army Band and the National Band of New Zealand at the Games opening ceremony will be repeated after the start of the marathon at Queen Elizabeth II Park tomorrow. “The demonstration will begin at approximately 5.15 p.m.,” said Mr Scott. “Its main object is to give competitors a chance to see what they missed.” Friendly shooters In these days when emotional outbursts by sportsmen are becoming more common, the Games shooters present a refreshingly cool face to adversity. Even when medals have been lost with a single shot, shooters have been smiling and cheerful, and without exception have refused to blame anything or anyone but themselves for their failures. Indeed the only man publicly to complain about tricky conditions was a Scot who did so with a very big smile — he had just shot the maximum possible! score. ■

Profit ahead The Games appear to be headed for a substantial profit. “Public support has removed any doubt we had about breaking even,” the chairman of the organising committee (Mr R. S. Scott) said yesterday. “We’re definitely headed for a profit.” Mr Scott would not speculate on the size of the profit, but the revenue from ticket sales is predicted to be more than double the previous record of $590,000 set in Perth in 1962. The Christchurch Games have also passed the Perth record of 290,000 ticket sales. Family at work

The Queen will present track and field medals tomorrow and Saturday, and swimming medals on Friday when she visits the park which carries her name. Princess Anne will present weightlifting medals tomorrow, and at I the same time Prince Charles I will present the badminton medals.