Olympic selectors severely prune team for Montreal

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34127, 13 April 1976, Page 1

Olympic selectors severely prune team for Montreal

(By our sports reporters)

A team of 88 competitors from a total of 112 nominations was named last evening by the selectors (Messrs J. W. Holley, H. R. Dutton, and P. N. Robinson) to represent New Zealand in the Montreal Olympic Games in July.

This is only eight fewer than the record number which competed in the Munich Games four years ago—a team which was generally’ considered to be below the over-all standard necessary.

However, the selectors have left themselves open to severe criticism, particularly for their treatment of two major sports — athletics and cycling.

Tive of the 14 track and fldld nominations have been pruned from a team which was considered a very selective one. Among those to miss out at the final hurdle are Canterbury’s sole nomination, Tony Good (marathon), and a former Canterbury athlete now living in Wellington, Barbara Beable (pentathlon).

It is certain to result in a fdrther move by athletics to have the two-tier selection system for Commonwealth and Olympic Games altered. “The athletics selectors are the experts and yet thev have been overruled by people who cannot possibly know as much about the sport,” the former Olympic coach (Mr Valdemars Briedis) said last evening. “The pruning has been much too severe.”

The most baffling treatment of all has been handed out to cycling, even though two of the three Olympic selectors — Messrs Dutton and Robinson — have lifelong associations with the sport.

They have named Jamie Richards for the 100 km team

time trial and Vem Hanaray, the leading road race hope, as reserve for that four-man event.

But they have inexplicably omitted Blair Stockwell (Canterbury), Kevin Blackwell (Waikato), and Paul Jesson (Canterbury) — not only the other three members of the time trial team but also the medal-winners, in that order, in the national road championship last Saturday. There is no way an individual can compete in a time trial against a four-man team but that is expected of Richards.

Also, there is no compelling reason why Richards and Gary Bell should be rated more highly for the individual road race than Stockwell, the most consistent road rider in New Zealand this year.

It had appeared possibW that Bell might be dropped and Blackwell or Jesson substituted for him in the road race.

A stunned Mr W. W. Thorpe, nominated as coach for the Montreal cycling team, called the omissions “bloody incredible."

“From the way they have named the team, there isn’t a time trial team. It is ridiculous to name one rider. From the names. it appears they have drooped the team time trial and decided three is enough for road race,” said Mr Thorpe.

“But what if we have what happened here, when three of the four in the road race at the Commonwealth Games were unwell? “We have had the chance before of having medal hopes in the road race, but there has been no back-up for them. Yet again, they have not named a full team. “I could understand it if they chose not to send a time trial team. But let’s face it, not to send a full team in the individual road race is bloody incredible. If it is worth trying to do a job, it is worth doing it right,” said Mr Thorpe.

Ten of the 12 swimmer? nominated were chosen. Nevertheless, there was disappointment in swimming circles that lan Bullock (Otago) and Graeme Wright (Waikato) were omitted. Both swam exceptionally well in the national championships last month, beating the target times set by the swimming selectors that were designed to get them into semi-finals at Montreal.

Shooting had its nominations reduced by half, three trap-shooters and one smallbore marksman being omitted.

New Zealand, which was represented by ofie running game target shooter for the first time at the 1972 Olympic Games, has had both

its nominees accepted this time.

Rowing, with 18, has the largest contingent — the number nominated. Hockey has 16, and yachting, which had its nominations reduced by two, has 12. Canoeing must consider all its Christmasses have come at once. Its two representatives at Munich were knocked out in the second heat, yet this fledgling sport has doubled its numbers. One of those chosen, lan Fergusson, of Palmerston North, becomes a double New Zealand international; he is also a surf life-saving representative.

(Full team and other comment, back page)