Africans take hard line on sports ties

Press, 26 February 1977, Page 56

Africans take hard line on sports ties

i PA-Reuter Lome, Togo j Most delegations at the twnty-eighth Ministerial council of the Organisation of African Unity favour boycotting the Commonwealth Games next year unless New Zealand severs all sporting ties with South Africa, sources close ro rhe session say. The council yesterday discussed a report on the matter from the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa, whose executive debated the problem last month in Yaounde. The council’s secretary - general, Mr Jean-Claude, Ganga, said in Lome that; he expected a definite stand! from the O.A.U. making it easier for national sporting authorities to implement any" decisions. Mr Ganga also said that I his council had received a. letter from the New Zealand: Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon)* explaining his country’s new; [policy on sporting relations; | with'South Africa. | The New Zealand sports authorities also sent the, council a list of sporting* events involving South Africa until 1980 which New Zea-, land had cancelled, he added.* The S.C.S.A. meeting in ■

Yaounde decided to recoin- . mend lifting the boycott of sports events in which New : Zealand took part if there were assurances from the Wellington Government that all sports links with South I Africa were broken. A report from Nairobi says | that Kenya’s ban on sport--1 ing contacts with New Zealand is still in force until the [O.A.U. rules otherwise. j The country’s leading [sports administrator, Mr Isaac Lugonzo, said that al- ! though the S.C.S.A. had

! voted to reverse its decision .banning sporting links v.uh New Zealand the O.A.U. had yet to endorse the decision, land the organisation’s next ! summit meeting did not take i place before the middle of the year. i Mr Lugonzo, chairman of the Kenya National Sports [Council, said he was shocked Ito discover that two of Kenya's leading middle dK[tance runners. Mike Boit and [Wilson Waigwa. had run [against New Zealanders dui ing the winter indoor sports I season this year in the United States. He said Boit and Waigwa (both on track scholarships .r American universities, had I done so in violation of th< Kenya Government ban ant Icouid face disciplinary ac\Tanzanian Minister's vie' of N.Z. position. Page 20.