N.Z. Games body might find that it acted hastily

Press, 10 May 1980, Page 1

N.Z. Games body might find that it acted hastily

Staff reporter The New Zealand Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association ‘might ■ find that it acted hastily in approving participation in ;fs . Olympic Games at Moscow in July. ' While its courage in making an independent decision can be commended, in one respect, tne association could be put in the •em * rassing position -of. having to rescind its deci- ■ sibn if support for the : Olympics continues to drop away. • : ■Many eyes will be on the West Germans, who are expected to make .an announcement’about their intentions on May 15. West Germany's decision probably will influence many other countries. If the New Zealand body had delayed its deliberations'for a week, its deci- ■ sion would have had some, meaning. West Germanv by then would Have defined its po«itio>v leaving the ■ Olympics like a pricked balloon as the chain redaction spread. New Zealand participa- ; tion, in these circum- . stances, would be highly ’ unlikely. On the political ’ front—and sport is an unwilling bedfellow for polij tics in this ' issue — New ' Zealand would be in bad odour if none of its trading partners were represented at Moscow. On the sporting front' it

is doubtful whether the association would outlay funds>to send a team overseas for watered-down competition. Individual sports might consider that there’ was sufficient Eastern Bloc participation in their line of endeavour to make the trip worth while, but, in this case, they might n nd that they would be asked to meet the cost themselves. Some competitors chosen last month for the Olympics feel that the association’s decision has not changed the New Zealand position- Some say it signified nothing more than an intention to go, but the reality could be a different thing. Already there have been positive steps to the rear by some of New Zealand’s chosen representatives. The. Yachting Federation withdrew-its competitors—■ although there is a move afoot to review this—and the show jumping rider. Mark Todd, has also withdrawn ' because of transport problems. Both the men’s and women’s hockey tournament would be thrown into chaos by a wide-ranging boycott. They would, in fact probably have to be withdrawn from the programme. . Few eastern European countries are prominent in the sport. Among the 12 teams and six reserves for

the men’s competition only Russia and Poland are from the Communist bloc. Of the six teams and six reserves for the women’s tournament only Russia, which gained automatic entry as host nation, is from the Eastern European bloc. Other sports in which New Zealanders are entered that could be. badly affected by a sweeping boycott are cycling, judo, and yachting. Todd, the sole New' Zealand equestrian representative, is reported -to have sold his horse. Southern Comfort, and withdrawn from the Olympic team. Because the Great Britain equestrian team has withdrawn he could not get transport t» Russia for his horse. But in the other sports in which New Zealanders are entered — archery, canoeing, gymnastics, modern pentathlon, rowing, shooting, swimming, track and field, and weight-lifting — the Communist bloc countries dominate. . r o m Washington, NZPA reports one American official as saying: “New’ Zealand is going to find itself a little isolated out there.”

At the State Depart-, ment, another official said: “We are very disappointed about this decision. We continue to feel that a boycott of the Olympics is an important way to bring home to Jhe Soviet Union world dsapproval at its invasion of Afghanistan.” The official said he was surprised that the New Zealand committee had not followed other Western national Olympic organisations in postponing a final decision until closer to the May 24 closing date for acceptances. The United States Olympic Committee voted two to one in mid-April not to send a team to Moscow,

thus heeding President Carter’s call for, a boycott. The United States expected that its boycott drive would be supported by at least 60 nations, a State Department official said. Earlier yesterday Argentina announced that it would boycott the Moscow Olympics. A communique issued by the military Government said Argentina did not want its athletes to be used “to validate acts which have threatened peace and international security.” In Sydney, the Australian Olympic.'Federation’s president' (Mr Sidney Grange) said that the New Zealand decision to go to the Moscow Olympics was encouraging, but not as

important as the decision still to be made by West Germany. What the New Zealanders faced could not compare with that of the Australian body which, he said, had been subjected to unprecedented Government pressure. The Soviet Union has offered free lodgings and a 50 per cent airfare discount for Thai athletes willing to participate in the . Moscow Olympics, according to Thai Olympic officials yesterday. But a spokesman for the Thai National Olympic. Committee said Thailand had not ' yet decided whether it would take part in the Games.