Methodists to commend Mr Ordia

Press, 16 August 1976, Page 2

Methodists to commend Mr Ordia

Mr Abraham Ordia, chairman of the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa, will be commended by the North Canterbury Methodist Synod I for his work ‘‘against racial and other forms of segregation in the selection of jsports teams.” The Synod on Saturday ‘decided to write its comjmendation to Mr Ordia, and expressing regret that he was not more courteously received when he chose to visit New Zealand” and "hoping that in future his attitudes will be viewed with greater respect by New Zealand sports, bodies and the Government.” The synod also decided to jask the New Zealand Methodist Public Questions Committee to summarise I Methodist statements since | the 1950 s on South Afi icri rugby tours. This summary will be sent to the Foreign Ministers of countries which withdrew from the Olympic Games rather than compete against New Zealand, and also to the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon), the New Zealand Rugby Union, and the New Zealand Olympic Games Association. The synod will ask other denominations to do the same, to show that opposition in New Zealand to racial segregation in sport is not of recent origin. A third resolution noted with satisfaction “'the apparent shift in Government policy towards a more sensitive approach to matters related to apartheid in sport,” but urged the Government to reaffirm its opposition to apartheid in sport, to support a United Nations boycott of South African teams, tu ask sports bodies not to play against South Africa, and to dissociate itself from tours to or from South Africa.