Aust, 'pathetic’ says Duke

Press, 3 August 1976, Page 6

Aust, 'pathetic’ says Duke

PA Montreal The Duke of Edinburgh has described as “deplorable and pathetic” the idea of a Government inquiry into Australia’s performance at the Montreal Olympic Games. In an interview broadcast yesterday by the Australian Broadcasting Commission, Prince Philip singled out the Australian Government for criticism. He said he had read reports that the Prime Minister (Mr Malcolm Fraser) had discussed an over-all review of sport, and that the Minister responsible, Mr Kevin Newman, had said it would be a good

idea to hold an inquest into the Australian Olympic team's performance in Montreal.

“This sort of thing is deplorable, it’s pathetic,” Prince Philip said. “It’s not for a Government to worry' about how many medals it’s won.”

He said it was sad that politics had again left a pall over the Olympics. But the future of the Games was threatened by a much worse problem — the tendency' to use them to gain national prestige. There was an idea that a country had to win medals, and that this was important for a nation, Prince Philip said.