N.Z. will be in at Edmonton

Press, 26 July 1976, Page 4

N.Z. will be in at Edmonton

NZPAstaff corres. Montreal J'he organisers of the 1978 Commonwealth Games at Edmonton have declined to exclude New Zealand from the competition, as African countries boycotting the Olympic Games have demanded.

“We have committed ouselves to invite all the| Commonwealth countries i to Edmonton, and we have no intention of making an exception of New Zealand. Those who. cannot accept that can stay home.” said Mr Harold van Vliet. chairman of the Edmonton: organising committee. The Canadian Athletics Federatim. however, has promised a number of Afri-, can athletes that no New! Zealanders will be invited to I a big international meeting it is organising at Vancouver on August 5. immediately after the Games The head of the Sudanese' Olympic team, one of the' African nations which walked out of the Olympic Games, has said that the Sudan is “unsatisfied" with| the way the boycott protest-' ing against New Zealand’s' presence at the Games had been handled. "We are leaving because; we must obey the boycott de-1 cision for the sake of. African unity.” said Mr Fuad Elton Hassan, in an inter-1 view with the "Montreal Gazette” at the Games vil-j •age. "But we are very unsatis-, fied with the (boycott) de-1 cision made by the Supreme! Council of Sport in Africa . because our opinions on the' matter were not sought,” he! said. The ‘“Gazette” said that Mr I Hassan had talked with the representatives of several' African nations, including Kenya and Egypt, and all, were “angry" that the coun-l cil’s president. Mr Abraham' Ordia. of Nigeria, had issued! the boycott order without I consulting all the countries! involved. “We are going to insist that the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa meet to discuss the whole situation." Mr Hassan was quoted as

saying. "We don't want a , resolution like this one to I boycott the Olympics to pass' so easily again. “'Any such action in future! must be well organised and well disciplined, with a resolution based on strong reasons understood by every-! i one.” By the time he had ar-1 rived in Montreal on July 17.! said Mr Hassan, the boycott! 'decision had been made and! ‘Mr Ordia had left Canada. , “I asked for a meeting of ■ all the African countries, but . Mr Jean-Claude Ganga (the iSupreme Council's secretary) , | told me it was too late, and J we would not have the ! chance to give our point of view.” Mr Hassan said he found Jin Montreal that the situation: J was a little unclear, and that; , New Zealand’s rugby team , had nothing to do with the. , Olympic Games. ! “That is why we feel a {meeting of all Africans nations was so important,”! {he said. Mr Ganga first threatened; jthe boycott on July 16, demanding that New Zealand ! be banned from the Games. The 1.0. C. refused. Next day, about 20 African teams were iabsent from the opening; {ceremony. Since then, the! 'boycott has spread to morel than 30 countries, only Sene-i ,gal and the Ivory Coast be-1 | ing left to represent Africa. An implied threat of further disruption of the Olym-i {pic Games at Montreal by the “Friends of Africa” has been {made bv the spokesman for the South African Non-Racial Olympic Committee (Mr Den. inis Brutus). In a message to Mr C. L. S. Cross, “further, massive {withdrawals’ were meni tioned. These might take ' place, it was implied, unless 1 the New Zealand Olympic '{Committee and the New Zealand Government made declarations clearly rejecting racl,ism in sport. 1 Mr Brutus was not immediately available for comment • to elaborate on his reference

to further withdrawals. Mr David Wickham, the representative of the H.A.R.T. organisation in Montreal said 'that he thought Mr Brutus would mean withdrawals by the “Friends of Africa” against New Zealand in the ! future. i “In a practical sense, I think all the withdrawals in Montreal have already taken place.” Mr Wickham said. i Mr Cross, who received Mr Brutus’s telegram at midnight • on his return from the yachting venue at Kingston, ar- . ranged a meeting with Mr i Brutus at 9 a.m. on Saturday I —but Mr Brutus did not turn , up until about an hour later, • by which time Mr Cross had left for one of the Games venues, with fellow members ,of the 1.0. C. Mr Ganga himself said a passionate farewell to Montreal on Friday and claimed a victory, the Associated Press said. “Nobodv believed the Africans would call a boycott,” he said. “Now, the world is , {convinced that when Africans say something, they will . do it.” Mr Ganga. in a final press conference, talked emotionally of the plight of black {sportsmen in South Africa and what he alleged was the {New Zealand Government’s support for the All Black [rugbv tour. Often his voice rose to a ’ hoarse scream as he pounded the table and emphasised his i points “I don’t want Africans to come here like monkevs dressed for the fair, to be returned to the iungle when the fair is over.” he said. “We want a definite stand by the 1.0. C. to condemn the ' rugbv tour in South Africa ■ . . . We appeal to all the : peoples of the world to help : the people of South Africa,” • he said. “The only way to help them is to boycott South Africa. “When New Zealand I sportsmen go to South Africa. | they are giving help and support to those who are against ■ change.” he said.