China may be in Games

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33932, 27 August 1975, Page 30

China may be in Games

At least one new team from the four that contested the first Games this year is likely to be I included in the men’s basketball section of the second New Zealand Games in Christchurch in 1977. New Zealand and Australia are automatic choices, and the Philippines, which lost the final to Australia this 1 year, has indicated that it

would welcome another invitation. Tahiti, the fourth country this year, was out of its depth and will almost certainly be replaced. The president of the New Zealand Basketball Federation (Mr M. A. Henshall), who was chairman of the basketball control committee for the first games (a position he will probably retain for the second Games), said yesterday that China was likely to be asked to provide the fourth team. A Chinese team visited Australia last year. In Australia in November Mr Henshall intends to ask about its ability. With more basketball players than any other country, China is likely to be well up to standard. The only other likely country in the Pacific area, to which the choice will probably have to be restricted because of travel costs, was North Korea, said Mr Henshall. He had heard that North Korea was quite strong.

The competition might be enlarged to include five teams, depending on finance.

Countries from further afield might, as an alternative, be invited to tour Australia about the time of the Games an dthen come to New Zealand, travel costs being shared.