World Olympic body to hold emergency meeting

Press, 15 April 1980, Page 8

World Olympic body to hold emergency meeting

NZPA-Reuter Lausanne, Switzerland The Olympic movement’s executive will hold a special i meeting next week after the United States Olympic Committee decision at the week- : end to endorse President ■Carter’s boycott of the Moscow Games. 1 Lord Killanin, president of ■ the International Olympic Committee, said the meeting, I which will be held in Lauisanne on April 21-23, was the result of requests by the Moscow organising committee and “certain national Olympic committees” which 'wanted talks with the executive. I The United States Olympic Committee decided to endorse President Carter’s boycott, called in protest ■ against the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan. The United .States com-

mittee said an official American team would not go unless President Carter informed it by May 20 that there was a change in the situation. The 1.0. C. director, Monicue Berlioux, said in Paris last month that the executive might consider the question of individual participation by athletes whose countries had decided to boycott the Moscow Games, although it would mean an amendment to the Olympic rules. Vladimir Popov, vice-pres-ident of the Moscow Olympic Organisation Committee, said yesterday that if the 1.0. C. decided to alter the rules about individual entries, then such .-athletes would be welcome. American Government officials have predicted that 50 to 60 countries might

join in a boycott of the Games. Prince Alexandre de Merode, Belgian member of the International Olympic Committee said in Brussels he thought some 1.0. C. members would try to withdraw from the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Interviewed on Belgian radio, he said a study group had been set up to examine the idea of staging the Games permanently at Olympia, in Greece. The proposals would be studied at an Olympic congress meeting in Baden Baden, West Germany, next year. One solution could be to stage only main individual events at Olympia. Team events would take place in various world capitals. The demon bowler who demolished Mrs Thatcher, page 18.