Ominous overtone to sports ban seen

Press, 24 March 1977, Page 4

Ominous overtone to sports ban seen

PA Auckland An obviously upset John Walker said yesterday that he believed the decision not to invite him or any other New Zealander to the Jamaican international meeting was just the start of something really big.

Athletes from 18 countries have been invited to the Jamaican meet, which will be held in ingston. “I figure we will be in for a very difficult time when we race in Europe this year,” Walker said. "The pressure will be on us far more than it was last year. “When we were in Montreal we were told then that the Jamaicans were on our side, and that they would not join the African boycott of the Olympics. This seems a complete turnaround by them.” Walker said that he had not planned to run in the Jamaican meeting, even if he had been invited. It was at this same meeting two years ago that Filbert Bayi lowered the world mile record to 3min 51sec. Three months later Walker set a new record of 3min 49.45ec. Eamonn Coughlan had I been invited to Kingston. Walker said, and he was sure that Ireland had had I some sports contact with South Africa in recent times.

“New Zealand is obviously' being picked on, and it seems to me as if world opinion is hardening against us,” he said. “I don’t believe in political blackmail, and I also don’t believe we should give in entirely. But there must be a softening on both sides.”

Olympic champions from Cuba, the Soviet Union, and the United States, plus top African runners who boycotted the Montreal Olympics. will participate in the Jamaica international track and field meet on May 14.

Neither Walker nor any other New Zealanders were invited because of the Afri-

; can nations’ boycott of any i sports events in which New : Zealand participates, according to Jamaica’s High Com- ■ missioner to Canada (Mr ! Anthony Hill). “African athletes are the : chief attraction of our meet, i Therefore, with the African boycott of New Zealand, we i could not invite Walker or i anyone from that country,” i he said. The meet has received con- . firmed acceptances from the . Cubans Alberto Juantorena, ■ the Olympic gold medallist at 400 and 800 metres, and the [ sprinter Silvia Leonar. . Bayi has accepted an in- . vitation, as have Coughian ■ and Paul Commings, of the j United States. I Other top athletes expected > to compete are the Amerit cans, Steve Williams, Steve ’ Riddick, Edwin Moses, RosI lyn Bryant, and Dwight it i i r

Stones, Don Quarrie of Jamaica, and Valery Borzov of the Soviet Union. In Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania has announced that it will boycott the World Athletics Cup in Dusseldorf, West Germany, in September if New Zealand takes part, in spite of a pledge to the contrary by the president of the African Athletic Federation.

Mr Raphael Kubaba, the chairman of the Tanzanian Amateur Athletic Association, is reported to have said he was “shocked” by reports that the A.A.F. president (Mr Lamine Diack) had sadi tn Dusseldorf last Sunday that African countries would participate.

Mr Kubaba said Mr Diack was not speaking for anyone in Tanzania.

Tanzania led last year’s African boycott of the Olympic Games.