’Athletics democratic'

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33460, 15 February 1974, Page 20

’Athletics democratic'

Z Press Associations WESTPORT.

Track and field athletics was probably the most democratic sport of all, said the New Zealand athletics coordinator (Mr B. Williams) in Westport yesterday. He was replying to remarks made by Professor P. Astrand of the Institute of Physical Education, Stockholm, in Wellington earlier this week. ; Professor Astrand, who is in New Zealand as a guest speaker at the Wellington Post-Graduate Medical Society’s, seminar on exer'cise in health and disease, said that competitive sport was undemocratic because most children would always be losers.

Professor Astrand said that track and field athletics and team sports would seldom be kept up in later life, and swimming, tennis, and similar sports were preferable. Mr Williams disagreed, and said that track and field catered for all shapes and sizes. It formed the very basis of physical education programmes with running, jumping and throwing. The development of team athletics and veterans’ meetings was allowing even greater participation in a sport which catered for everyone, he said.

World tennis.— Results on the third day of th® World Championship tennis tournament in Bologna. Included—Singles, second round: SI. Cox (Britain) beat J. Gisbert (Spain). 6-2. 6-3; A. Panatta (Italy) beat C Barazzutti (Italy), 6-4 6-7 7-5. Doubles, first round: R. Taylor (Britain) and J. Gisbert (Spain) beat Cox and J. Kamiwazumi (Japan). 7-5. 7-5; A. Ashe and R. Tanner (United States) beat C. Barazzutti and E. Di Matteo (Italy), 6-4. 6-4; G. Battrick and G. Stillwell (Britain) beat. A. Zugarelli (Italy) and A. Munoz (Spain). 6-3. 4-1, retired.