Funds sought to help athletes

Press, 9 June 1980, Page 6

Funds sought to help athletes

PA ' Auckland Efforts are being made to find enough finance to provide athletes who are selected for the Moscow Olympics some alternative international competition in the next few months. At the annual meeting of the New Zealand Sports Foundation on Saturday, a special committee ;was set up, at the suggestion of the Minister of Sport and Recreation (Mr Highet) to.find alternative ..finance.

The committee will be headed by Sir Ronald Scott, of Christchurch. Its members include Messrs Harry Julian, president of the Yachting Federation; Don Rowlands, former president of the Rowing Association; Keith Hancox, executive director of the Sports Foundation; and Brian McLay, Deputy Secretary of Internal Affairs-,. ",

Mr Roy -Dutton, vice-presi-dent of the Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association, has also been asked to serve on. the committee.

As all but four New Zealand athletes at present will not go to Moscow, the Games

Association will not fund their travel overseas for competition. But several sports are still going ahead with. plans forj overseas competition. The rowers left for Europe yesterday and the remaining cyclists will leave today. After the meeting of the foundation on Saturday, the directors decided to ■ guarantee a $78,000 overdraft the cyclists and rowers-need for their travel.

Yesterday Sir Ronald said th'e ideal would be to get all those selected for the Olympics away .to alternative competition. •' “However, it may be the lack of suitable alternative international competition and; hot. necessarily financial constraints which will mean noteverybody will get away,” he said.

• Sir . Ronald said, he hoped to'get a quick indication from the various .national sports how much finance..they might Theed to attend alternative competition and .’then raise the money quickly. -“The essence is speed,” he said.

I The committee is likely to ; seek assistance from the GovI eminent, the Lotteries Board, and the business community. | “The Minister is to be applauded in his efforts to try to pick up some of the pieces,” said Sir Ronald. I After speaking to the Sports Foundation, where hereiterated the Government stand on the Olympics, Mr Highet said the Government would do everything possible to help the athletes get alternative . competition. “As the - athletes • have’ played ball, I have suggested we all get together and see how we can help,” said Mr Highet He said he would also try !to arrange a meeting with United States and Canadian officials when he is in New York this week, in an effort to set up some alternative competitions. At the meeting, Mr Highet presented the foundation with a cheque from the Lotteries Board of $150,000 for the present financial year, a $50,000 increase .on the grant made last year. ■ .. . ~ ,