Day of relaxation at Games village

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33450, 4 February 1974, Page 16

Day of relaxation at Games village

It was a day of relaxation for many of the overseas athletes and officials at the Commonwealth Games village at Ham yesterday.

Some were getting over the effects of Saturday night’s party at the Christchurch Town Hall. Others were reliving the competitions with competitor-friends in conversational groups. But for almost half the competitors it was a day of packing and preparation for flights home. The last buses to return to the village from Saturday night’s party did not roll in until almost 5 a.m. But for all that, there was little early-morning revelry. Three flags went missing, but these were tracked down and the culprits “dealt with” by their team managers. The Kenyan runner, Ben Jipcho, said that it had been a “fantastic” week, and that he had enjoyed his stay in Christchurch. His only concern was that the Kenyan team’s charter plane arrive on time to take them home. Athletes yesterday afternoon attended a hangi at a function organised by the Christchurch City Council and officials of Edmonton, Canada, where the next Commonwealth Games will be held. The Kokatahi Band provided music. The village post office was quiet yesterday. Its main business was sending cablegrams connected with airline travel arrangements and arrivals in teams’ home countries. The only damage to village property reported during its Games occupancy was a broken window, a sliding door damaged when it came off its runners, and a plateglass door broken by someone walking through it. The final news item posted up in the information office at the village yesterday was

from Dr R. Owen, the medical adviser to the Commonwealth Games Federation. It said that all sex tests on women competitors had proved positive—“there were no doubtful ones at all.” All random drug tests on competitors had been negative. Dr Owen paid tribute to the Games Organising Committee for its help and to the competitors for their cooperation.