N.Z. team settling in at Montreal

Press, 8 July 1976, Page 42

N.Z. team settling in at Montreal

NZPA staff correspondent Montreal The New Zealand team is quickly settling into routine at the Olympic village at Montreal—athletes, canoeists, swimmers, shooters and wrestlers were out training yesterday, though only the swimmers were at full tilt.

The others have been [advised to wait a few 'days to overcome travel tiredness completely—ibut even so. Jack Foster, the marathon runner, |and Dianne Zorn have [been out on training’ (runs on the roads together, and have even [managed a lap or two of the main stadium.

Euan Robertson, the Otago steeplechaser, has now been added to the New Zealand athletics team, and the manager, Mr W. J. Holley, was trying to contact Robertson lin Europe to tell him the good news. He assumed he would be able to reach him i later in the day, and that Robertson would arrive in Montreal with the other [Games runners, John Walker. [Rod Dixon. Dick Quax. and Anne Garrett. Robertson’s selection brings the New Zealand Olympic; team up to 87 competitors, plus one horse. The team is backed up bv 29 officials, including coaches, managers, a doctor and physiotherapist, a groom for the'horse, and a Weather man for the yachting team.

The canoeing team has been making the best use of the Olympic basin before the world’s oarsmen arrive next week. Rowing is in the first week of the Games, and will occupy much of the venue before handing - over to the canoeists for the second week".

Sue Jowett, the 19-year-old track sprinter, was told to stop training for a day because of a back strain. She had had several sessions on the training track iust outIside the main stadium, but will resume her running again today.

The team’s management is pleased with the set-up in Montreal, and there have been no complaints about the lodging, which some teams have described as “overcrowded.” The only worries for the team have been a fire alarm which went off with great ringing of bells at 10.45 p.m. on Tuesday evening, the absence of a promised team station waggon and minibus, and the missing bag of the riflleman, lan Ballinger. “My major reaction in coming here has been delight at seeing preparations so well advanced.” said Mr Holley. “All we had heard was that I things would not be ready. ‘‘We find the venues are all completed as far as their functional aspects are concerned. They have not com pleted some public access and facilities, but these are not vital to the holding of the Games.” The team has not yet been told what level of security classification it has been ben allocated. Inspector Vincent Rodrigue, in charge of village security, said last week that all teams would be classified as minimum,

[medium. or maximum security risks. He declined to give any details of the classifications, except to say they were based on country of origin and could be changed at any time before and during the Games. It has been suggested that New Zealand might be given

at least medium security classification if any dispute over an African boycott is raised at the Games. The assistant manager (Mr D. M. Taylor) said that the security arrangements for the

Games had been clearly laid down in instructions given to the team management by village officials, and these had been passed on’ to the New Zealand team. So far, 37 New Zealanders are resident in the village, with 12 others in the yachting camp at Kingston and one at the equestrian village at Bromont. The hockey team is due today, with the rowing eight. The rowing fours, the horse riders, the rest of the athletes, and the track cyclist, Mike Richards, are due in later this week or on Monday. This will leave only the road cyclists, the weightlifters, and the marathon runner, Kevin Ryan, to arrive. Mr Holley said he was delighted to announce Robertson’s selection, and said the Dunedin runner had worked extremely hard to qualify for the Games. News of the athletic team performance in Stockholm was posted on the team headquarters yesterday, and did wonders for team morale. John Walker will need his own press secretary when he arrives. “There is already a whole pile of messages, telexes, and letters for him, and he is obviously going to be a very popular man,” Mr Holley said. “He will need his own secretary for the press. “It is not going to be open access to Walker, however. That just would not be fair to him.” Mr Holley said. “We will have to work out how best to let him prepare for the Games in relative peace.”