Rival games dropped

Press, 8 May 1980, Page 8

Rival games dropped

NZPA-Reuter Washington The United States, Australia, and other Governments have dropped plans to tiy to arrange an international sports festival to rival the Moscow Olympics, State Department officials have said. But talks were being held with? international sports federations on holding separate events in the second half of 1980 which could at* tract greater competition than the Moscow Games, officials said. The international festival, a sort of counter-Olympics, was proposed by President Carter in February when he announced a boycott of the Moscow Olympics as a protest against the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan. A dozen countries consid-

ered the proposal but it came to grief when the United States Olympic Committee voted last month not to take part.in any alternative games, officials said. In New York, the National Broadcasting Company will comply with President Carter’s request not to televise the Moscow Games, N.B.C.’s parent company, R.C.A., has announced. Addressing the company’s annual meeting, R.C.A.’s chairman (Mr Edgar Griffiths) said the decision was made because of the Carter Administrations opposition to the Moscow Games and because the United States team will not be competing. N.B.C. obtained the American rights to broadcast the 1980 Olympics four years

ago for a total package of SUSB7M. Of that sum, SUS3SM was for the actual rights and SUSS2M for production costs. The International Olympic Committee was to receive one third of the rights fee. N.B.C. will not lose its en tire investment in the Olympics because two years ago it took out an insurance policy with Lloyds of London for protection against an eventuality such as cancellation of the Games or an American boycott. The exact terms of the insurance policy have not been disclosed by N.8.C., but television industry sources says N.B.C. could salvage as much as r ■ cent of the SUSB7 million )