No mile for Bayi

Press, 26 July 1976, Page 4

No mile for Bayi

NZPA Staff corres Montreal Filbert Bayi of Tanzania will definitely not be start!ng in any of the one-milr races in the American oromoted “dream mi' t.iple” series. The organisers had hel hopes that despite Tanzan ia’s withdrawal from th' Olympic Games, the Tan zanian Government might relent afterwards and let Bayi run in the races, the first of which is in Philadelphia on August 4 — three days after the Games end. However, the chairman of the organising committee, Telesport International,

Mr Rocky Oaki, said yesterday the Tanzanian Minister of Sport and Culture hud sent him a cable say;ng Bayi would not be run>ing. Mr Oaki said no reason /as given. However, the eason is expected to be he same as that for Tanania’s Olympic pullout — he presence of Ne« Zea'anders. Both John Walker md Rod Dixon are running n the series. The two other race' ir the series, which Mr Oaki insists will go on desp'te Bayi's absence and the propable absence of Mike Bolt, of Kenya, are in Europe. He said Telesport, a New

York-based promotional company, is also planning to feature Bayi in a ont mile race in Europe in Sep. tember but details have not been finalised. The race would not include any New Zealanders, however. A report from Tanzania last week said Bayi would he running at several meetings in Europe and Scandinavia but would not comnete at any meeting which included athletes from New Zealand. Walker, Dixon and Dick Quax also plan an extentive post-Games European tour but it is not yet clear whether their scheduled programme would clash with Bayi's.