Athletes well fed

Press, 14 May 1979, Page 18

Athletes well fed

NZPA London British athletes tuning up for next year's Olympics in Moscow will get prizes of meat for winning events in the British intercounties athletics championships at Cwmbran this month. Ten food companies are to share the sponsorship of the meeting. First prizes will be vouchers for $5OO worth of meat and meat products—enough to keep big muscular athletes well fed for a few months. As well, British Meat, a confederation of manufacturing companies. will give more than $120,000 in cash to be shared out among Britain’s athletic organisations. At one time an athlete would have broken the Olympic eligibility rules by accepting prizes of this size. But it is all in line with the new eligibility rule as defined under the leadership of Lord Kilianin after he became president of the International Olympic Committee in 1972. The 1.0. C. now allows each international federation controlling an Olympic sport—in this case the International Amateur Athletic Federation —to set its own rules for prizes.