Israeli water polo team to tour N.Z.

Press, 14 October 1976, Page 28

Israeli water polo team to tour N.Z.

Although water-polo has been dropped from the New Zealand Games next January, the national team might still have a hectic international programme this summer.

The Israeli national team has made enquiries about a short tour of New Zealand in late December, and a “northern hemisphere” country, whose name could not be released, has enquired about a tout to New Zealand in late January. The chairman of the New Zealand Water - polo Board (Mr G. S .Brockett) informed the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association’s council of the inquiries on Tuesday evening. He added that if the "northern hemisphere” t eam’s tour eventuated it might be possible to hold a competition at the time of the New Zealand Games, including Australia and another invited southern hemisphere nationThe Israeli team would arrive in New Zealand on Christmas Eve as part of a tour of South-East Asia and would pay all its own costs, except internal travel. It is hoped to have the team play in the national inter-provincial (Ryan Cup) competition from December 27 to 30 and then play internationals in Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland.

The water-polo board was given permission to negotiate with the “northern hemisphere” country regarding its tour, and the New Zealand Games swimming control committee will discuss the possibility of the minicompetition during the New Zealand Games; An Australian under-18 team has also asked to tour New Zealand in January because it has had to cancel a tour to Europe. Relations improve Suspicions that once marred the relationship between the New Zealand Swimming Association and the New Zealand Swimming Coaches’ Association have disappeared and the two bodies were now in complete harmony, the chairman of the coaching committee (Mr S. Williams) told the council.

Reporting on a meeting of tha coaches’ association Iqst week-end he said it was now a young and, forward-looking group and the suspicions with which coaching schools organised by the N.Z.A.S A. were regarded a few years ago were gone.

The council applauded a move by th? association to donate $3OO towards the expenses of the coaches chosen

to guide the New Zealand Games team in January. The Waikato centre has had to relinquish its right tm hold the 1977 New Zealand winter championships at Hamilton because the pool does not reach the required standards. Waikato intended to hold the championships in a 25m indoor pool at Te Rapa to be opened later this month, but it has just, discovered that the depth does not meet the specifications.

The new pool is only 25ft s|in deep at the shallow end and 2ft Ulin or 0.9 m at the deep end. The rules of the association say the minimum depth required is 0-9 m. Members of the council expressed amazement that the pool could be built and then found to be inadequate for competition.

The Waikato case prompted the council to initiate a survey which will seek from all centres the degree of cooperation they receive from local bodies in the planning of pools, and charges and availability of pools to swimming clubs.