P.M. stands firm in sports-policy squeeze

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34046, 9 January 1976, Page 1

P.M. stands firm in sports-policy squeeze

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON. January 8. The Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) stood firm on sporting contacts with South Africa today in spite of confirmation of the cancellation of Filbert Bayi’s tour, growing pressure from anti-apartheid spokesmen, and suggestions that New Zealand might be excluded from the Olympic Games.

“We were elected on a policy that decisions on sporting ties were to be made by sporting bodies,” he said. “This needs no qualifications or elaborations.”

Even if New Zealand’s participation in the Olympics were in jeopardy—which he did not think was so—“lt’s not our policy to get involved. “If they excluded every country with sporting contacts with South Africa, there would be very few left. And if they excluded those

with trading ties, most of the black African nations would be out.” Today Tanzania confirmed that the world 1500 metres record-holder, Bayi, will not tour New Zealand and run against the world mile record-holder, John Walker, as long as the Government maintains its policy of noninterference in sport. The immediate past president of the Auckland centre of the Amateur Athletics Association (Mr Graham Davy) said that he had spoken by telephone to the assistant director of the Tanzanian National Sports and Youth Council (Mr Khalifa Alslullah). “I asked him if the Tanzanian athletes were still coming to New Zealand, or if the tour was definitely off. He wanted to know if South Africa was coming to New Zealand for the world softball series, and I told him it was,” Mr Davy said. “He then said that if this was the situation, the tour was definitely off. We accepted that as confirmation.”

The only chance of Bayi’s still touring wbuld be if South Africa withdrew from the world softball series in Wellington this month. It was learned today that the Philippines had withdrawn from the tournament because of the South Africa issue. Mexico has also pulled out—whether it was for the same reason is not known —and Argentina and the Ba-

hamas say they will not come unless the New Zealand Government changes its policy. This leaves Canada, the United States, Guam, Japan, Taiwan, and, of course, South Africa, still expected. But the president of the Citizens’ Association for Racial Equality (Mr Tom Newnham) predicted today that Japan and Canada would withdraw. The South African softballers will be met by demonstrations by the Halt All Racist Tours movement and university anti-apartheid groups. Mr Trevor Richards, chairman of H.A.R.T., said demonstrators would shadow the South Africans all the time to show them that “a very large proportion of New Zealanders did not wish them to come here.” Mr J. A. Walding, the former Minister of Sport, said in Te Puke that New Zealand could expect much worse sporting retribution. It was quite apparent that the average New Zealander had not realised the serious implications of the National Party’s policy, he said.

“The world is interdependent today, and New Zealanders cannot afford to isolate themselves from the realities of the situation.” He found it difficult to believe that all the National M.P.s were unanimous in wanting to continue sports ties with South Africa, and said that individual M.P.s should make their opinions known.