Quax bitter: ‘Victory for polities, blow to sport’

Press, 9 June 1980, Page 1

Quax bitter: ‘Victory for polities, blow to sport’

NZPA. Washington The Olympic marathon contenders, Dick Quax and Kevin Ryan, are annoyed and bitter about the news that they will not go to the; Moscow Games after is :a victory for P 0 tics and a blow to sport, Sai Th? U withdrawal of the. four-member New Zealand shooting team. • was announced at the week-end. The team was lan Ballinger (Christchurch), Jack Scott • • (Pareora), Wayne Williams- .(North Auckland), and John Woolley (Christchurch, now living in Melbourne). , .-Executive members or the Canoeing Association met in Auckland on Saturday; and saw no reason to withdraw. . . “'the position Qi canoeing is unchanged but is under constant review, said ithe association . president,*. .Mr ;■ Evan Stubbs, from: Auckland last evening.-? - ; ' • the'.association's deliberations on Saturday had included:-a. telephone con-

versation with the Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Talboys), and discussions with two Auckland members of Parliament, said Mr Stubbs. .As . .oply four competitors remain, they are now assured of full financial backing from the New Zealand Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association.

A spokesman for the Games association confirmed last evening/ that that was the present position, but he did not rule out further pressure for withdrawals in the next few days. , . .. Only four New Zealand competitors remain in the Games — the canoeing team of lan Ferguson (Auckland), Alan Thompson (Gisborne), Geoff Walker (Christchurch), and the entrant in the modern pentathlon, Brian Newth (Wellington). David Rigert, the Russian weight-lifter who was one of the outstanding competitors at the New Zealand Games in Christchurch tn 1975. has .written saying how much he

is disappointed by the withdrawals from New Zealand’s team.

In Christchurch lie broke the world snatch record in the light heavy weight class. Rigert’s cheerfulness and engaging personality made him many friends in Christchurch. A year later he won tire Olympic gold medal in tire middle heavyweight class at. Montreal.

Details of Rigert’s letter are printed on Page 3. Quax and Ryan criticised ■ the New Zealand Government for its inconsistency in allowing the All Blacks to. go to 'South Africa in 1976, but putting on so much political pressure to prevent the Olympic team from going to Moscow.

“Why should they interfere now?” Ryan asked. “The Olympics are a bigger thing than a rugby tour.” ■ ■ , :

Perhaps the most disappointed of the three New Zealand athletes who had come to North Amer-

ica for their final Moscow preparations was the pentathlon nominee, Karen Page, aged 25, of Auckland.

A 'ate addition to the team after going to Australia to try to qualify, she said from Canada: “I had doubts about our going all along. It was only this week, after the association’s second vote that I had begun to believe we were really going. Now it has all gone down the drain.”

Moscow would have been her first Olympic Games, and she came to Canada to prepare in a warmer climate. “1 doubt that I will stick around e or another four years,” she said.

Quax says he plans to live permanently in the United • States. He told NZPA from Eugene, Oregon, ■ where he has been training, that he had made the decision for personal reasons.

He said he planned to return to New Zealand

next month for four or five weeks to settle his affairs, then return to the United States to live. His shinsplints injury, which had interrupted his training programme, was progressing well. ‘ It is not 100 per cent, but I am back to about 100 miles a week,” he said. Quax said he thought he would have been fit for Moscow. “I suspected all along

that we would not go. I am aware of the realities. The Government wanted to support the United States because of our beef and other trade. We will not support them on Iran by stopping our sheepmeat sales, so we have to support them on Afghanistan by not going to Moscow.

“It is a case of blatant politics in sport. 1 just hope that when the Rugby Union decides to bring out a Springbok team next year, the Government keeps this in mind.”

Quax called on the New Zealand Government to compensate Olympian contenders by financially supporting overseas tours by sports teams this year. He suggested the Gov‘ernment should underwrite a European tour by the rowers and pay for the track and field team to compete at alternative meetings overseas.

“I am not worried for myself,” he said. “I have more marathon invitations than I can accept. But I feel sorry for the rowers, and people such as Kim

Robertson—Moscow ' was to be their big thing.” Mr Nelson Ledsky, head of the United States State Department’s Olympic task force, told NZPA yesterday he was sure that New Zealand athletes would be invited to compete at American international meetings in the (northern) summer and autumn.

But Quax, who has been in the United States more than a month, said: "I have not seen . any evidence of any planning for these. The American team is going to Europe. They have done absolutely nothing to prepare any socalled alternative games.” Mr Ledsky has welcomed the spate of withdrawals from the New Zealand team for Moscow. “We would like to see the entire New Zealand team stay at home,” he told NZPA.

Kevin Ryan, who said. “I am really peeved,” blamed the “irresponsible statesmanship” of President Carrer. “It is not just American athletes who are suffering. He has made

athletes right around the world suffer.”

But Ryan said he would keep running. “I’ll be 35 in another four years, so I guess I’ll have another go at an Olympics.”

Bitterly disappointed about being withdrawn from the Olympics, the rowing team left Auckland yesterday resplendent in the ill-fated New Zealand uniform intended for the Games.

As one team member said, “We may have been stopped competing at Moscow but we can still show people where our thoughts lie.”

After the sudden withdrawal of the rowing team on Friday there was insufficient time to outfit the oarsmen with new uniforms. After rowing as planned at Lucerne next week-end they will contest the West German championships at Duisberg the next week. They will then row at either Amsterdam or Nottingham the week after and finish the tour at the Royal Henley regatta a week later.