Olympic protest meeting draws little response

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34130, 17 April 1976, Page 46

Olympic protest meeting draws little response

An open-air meeting in Cathedral Square on Thursday 7 evening protesting against the severe pruning of the Olympic team nominations attracted a crowd of little more than 1 50.

The young man eatingi chips "ho asked: “What’s this about?”; represented the attitude of a few of the onlookers w ho stayed only briefly,! but the majority were athletes, who remained throughout the 60minute meeting. Petitions calling for a vote of no-confidence in the: Olympic selectors, demand-; ing their immediate resigna-J tron and the appointment of! ’hree new men to reconsider! the nominations were circulated around the main shop-! ping areas in Christchurch* These met with rather more success — more than, PXM) signatures had been, collected" bv last evening.; with some petitions still to come in — but the organiser! of the meeting. Tony Gavigan. was still disappointed | < '.otilitleiil 'This is a pretty small figure. The public hasn't really supported the cause as much as we thought they would.” said Gavigan. a former Canterbury representative athlete, last evening. , However. he is still; confident that this will be the last year of the present two-tier system of selection. If this does not appear to be coming. Gavigan intends to “continue pushing along this line.”

After the meeting. Gavi-, gan said he was “a bit disappointed with the turn-out” and blamed the cold night and the short notice of the meeting for this. He was at least pieased with the numbers of athletes — some of whom had been I so disgusted with the Olympic team that they had stayed home from work on Tuesdav — and said "at least we’ve done something.” . At one stage the meeting ■ threatened to turn into something of a Gavigan 'benefit with Gavigan and his ( father. Mr Jack Gavigan, I doing a lot of talking, but; I five other speakers d ; d even-j 'tually take the rostrum.

"I >i-g listed’ One speaker was a former [ ipresident of the Canterbury . 'Cycling Centre, Mr Don , .Johnson, who said he was 'disgusted that athletes who [had spent much time and (money making the required standard had been turned; down by men who “can’t! , possibly have the expertise iof the people in each sport' iwho selected them.” He did admit, though, that 1 “this (the meeting) won't do . much good” and he empha- ; sised that he was speaking | peronally, rather than as a ■ representative of any sport. | Officials from the major i sports affected in the team j selections such as swirn[ming, cycling, and athletics I were conspicuous by their [absence but Gavigan said I that he appreciated their ■ difficulties. “They’re caught right in the middle of it and i can’t move outside the regular channels.” Swimming out ■ Gavigan said that one perison who had declined to come was Mr Graeme j Brockett, a member of the New Zealand Amateur Swimiming Association’s council. : Mr Brockett told him that he had been “bashing his 'head against a brick wall for [six years and the ball was [now in the court of the 'minor sports who had been j opposed to a change in the ■ present set-up in the past.” I Some good points were [made by Mr Jack Gavigan I— who asked what would [happen if the All Black or ;the New Zealand cricket [ team had to go through a ■ second system of selection ’— and Mr Stan Jelley.

i Mr Jelley, the brother of John Walker’s well-known coach. Arch Jelley, spoke very strongly and said the [five athletes who missed out (were al! better medal ichances than the canoeists, equestrians, wrestlers, .- 1

weight-lifters. He asked that the selectors ‘come out from behind a smokescreen of power, authority, and secrecy” and advocated a change in New Zealand to the Australian (system of selection, where (the Olympic selectors alloIcated a certain number of (places to each sport and 'then leave individual selectors to choose ‘heir teams.

Another speaker said that (the selectors had complained

that the biographical details | supplied by some sports had been incomplete. "Surely time- are more important that where someone was bom or what he had for breakfast,” he said.

Confirmed The New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association will make no official complaint about the exclusion of OtagoC lan Bullock and Walk “’s <” aeme Wright from the Montreal Olympic team, e Press Association message from Dunedin stated. This was confirmed by the full-time general secretary of the N.Z.A.S.A (Mr Roger Forster). “It’s too late in the day to shout and scream, and all the protests and petitions in the world will have no effect,” said Mr Forster. “Bitterl disappointed though we are fo’ lan Bullock and Graeme Wright, no official protest to the Olympic and Commonwealth [Gat. Association has been [considered,” he said. “Justified though such protest might be,” he added. Tb-e exclusion of Bullock and Wright was a bitter setback for the ssociation. "We feel our nominations were rfi... ole - ’.J responsible,” said Mr Forster. “The candidates w e all within the very tough time standards set. Democratic body Mr lan Chadwick, president of the N.Z.A.S.A., echoed Mr Forster’s feelings. “The Olympic and Com- ' monwealth Games Association is a democratically ■constituted body and cannot •be < ver-ridden quite as easily as some people might like to think.” said Mr Chadwick.

“The time to change the selection system is when the pane! is not operating.” he said. The N.Z.A.S.A. was the only sporting body which supported the national athletics body’s remit to the N.Z.O.C.G.A. calling for changes in the selection (method following the 1974 Commonwealth Games. “Many sporting bodies are now regretting that decision.” said Mr Chadwick. Protests Meanwhile, in Dunedin, (he Otago swimming and athletic centre administrations are planning official protests to their respective national bodies. A private petition has also begun circulating in Dunedin, protesting against the omission of Tan Bullock and the Otago athlete. Euan Robertson, from the Montreal squad. Auckland meeting Auckland sports administrators and sportsmen, irate at the controversial team selection, will hold a special meeting in Auckland next Wednesday. The meeting will be chaired by the president of

Boxing.—Ben Villaflor of the Philippines retained his World Boxing Association junior lightweight title in Honolulu when he fought a 15-round draw with Sammy Serrano of Puerto Rico.

Motorcycling. — The International Motor-cycle Federation (F.1.M.) has decided not remove the Isle of Man’s Tourist Trophy meeting from its calendar of classics. Instead the federation is to set up an additional world championship category based on the Tourist Trophy and other similar events which might be created in the future.

the Auckland Amateur Athletic Association (Mr John Comaga). And the West Coast (N. 1. Athletic Centre has added its voice to the growing storm of protest. At its. meeting last week, the centre passed a motion of no confidence in the Games selectors.

Convenor 'astounded*

The convenor of the national boxing selection panel. Mr Syd Ashton, of Timaru, was not consulted regarding the reversal of nominations put forward to the New Zealand Olympic selectors. He is “astounded that such a procedure could be.” The New Zealand selectors chose — in order — Jetf Rackley (Nelson). David Jackson (Hutt Valley), and Robert Colley (Wellington). Only Jackson and Colley were selected for Montreal. When telephoned in Timaru. Mr Ashton said many top administrators had phoned him and admitted this could not have happened in their particular sports.

“How come you were talked out of letting the nominations stand?” a leading swimming official asked. Mr Ashton simply told them no-one had talked him into anything. He wasn’t even consulted.

"It will never happen again — not to me,” Mr Ashton said.