Chch man to coach World Cup athletes

Press, 26 May 1977, Page 36

Chch man to coach World Cup athletes

By

ROD DEW

One of New Zealand’s most accomplished track and field coaches, Valdemars Briedis, of Christchurch, has been chosen as a coach of the 52-strong Oceania team in the inaugural World Cup international athletics contest in Dusseldorf, West Germany, in September. It represents yet another extension to an already remarkably long list of accomplishments in the coaching field for Mr Briedis. He was the New Zealand Olympic coach at the Munich Olympic Games five years ago and earlier this year coached the New Zealand team in the test match against Australia ■at Auckland. And his international coaching commitments might ’not end at Dusseldorf, either. ■ He is one of two Canterbury ■ men who have been r.ominjated as coaches of the New Zealand team for the Pacific .Conference Games in Caniberra in December. It is widely felt that the fresh 'coaching information and 1

techniques he brings back from Europe will be of considerable benefit to future New Zealand teams. "I am really looking forward to the World Cup event —and I will certainly be looking for new ideas,” he said yesterday. “I am always prepared to learn.”

He believes that the idea of holding a world athletic competition is a good one, although he has some reservations about the size of the representation being permitted. “The World Cup contest is something which has never happened before and the idea is good. But with only one athlete being permitted in each event from each region, it is a trifle shallow.” Mr Briedis said that there would be no heats or semifinals in any events, only finals, and these would be spread out over three days (September 2, 3 and 4). This had made it very difficult for the selectors picking the Oceania team and the emphasis placed on the Aus-tralia-New Zealand test had

[further exacerbated the [problem. A lot of athletes had not realised early enough that it was to be a vital selection meeting, he said. Consideration should be given to holding an Oceania championship in future so that this could be used as a

basis for selection. Athletes would then prepare for this and be at their peak. Such a championship would include such countries as Fiji and New Caledonia as well as New Zealand and Australia. He envisages such an event being held along the same lines as the present European championships. Mr Briedis said that the omission of the two New Zealand Olympians, Dick Quax and Rod Dixon, had let the selectors in for a lot of criticism. But they had chosen the team on the basis of performances at the New Zealand championships and the test match and neither Quax nor Dixon had been able to compete because of injury. Nevertheless, he feeis that

it was a little unrealistic to leave them out. “There is no doubt that these boys are in world class — almost certainly better than the Australians who displaced them in the team. They are good and could do better than many of those in the team. A lot of those in the team have no chance at all of H oing any good — they will just be participants.” Mr Briedis is pleased that Quax is at least named as a reserve and feels strongly that Dixon should be put in the same category. “Dixon could run in the steeplechase, the 5000 metres or the 1500 metres. He is an ideal man for a reserve and he will be over in Europe, anyway.” . But Mr Briedis is well aware of the dilemma in which the selectors were placed with Dixon and Quax not competing in the two main selection meetings. He has been a Canterbury selector for many years. “It is very easy to criticise but it is very difficult to pick a fair ream when you can only

have one athlete in each event.” He feels that, apart from Dixon and Quax, New Zealand has been more than fairly treated in the selection (17 out of 52 are New Zealanders) and believes that the New Zealand representative on the panel (Mr Barry Hunt, of Ashburton) must have worked very hard to get some New Zealand athletes accepted ahead of their Australian rivals.

Once the viability of the World Cup contest is ascertained, Mr Briedis hopes that serious consideration will be given to broadening the contest and allowing two or three athletes from each zone to compete in each event. He would also like the contest to be extended over a full week.

The West Germans had to foot the bill for 500 athletes and dozens of officials and had to tread warily until they were sure that the meeting could be run at a profit. Mr Briedis s#ud that the

Oceania team would have a chance of several meetings before the World Cup contest. The team would compete against an Asian team in Singapore on August 26 and members would be able to compete in several open meetings in Germany towards the end of August. Formerly from Latvia, Mr Briedis can speak German fluently and this will be a decided asset in his work. There will be one other New Zealand coach with the team — Mr Russ Hogard, of Auckland.

Another Christchurch man, Mr Gerry Reddell, has been appointed team physiotherapist. He is a former Otago and Canterbury representative hurdler.

For the Pacific Conference Games in December, Canterbury is nominating a full ticket. Mr Ted Lunn has been nominated as chef de mission, Mr Ron Havill as manager, Mrs Daphne Jameson as women’s manager and Messrs Briedis and Warren Jowett as coaches.