I.O.C. unhappy with idea of flagless opening parade

Press, 14 July 1980, Page 6

I.O.C. unhappy with idea of flagless opening parade

By CLARE McDERMOTT, of NZPA-Reuter Moscow

With the official opening of the Olympic Games only six days away the International Olympic Committee will meet in Moscow today to discuss ways of preserving the future of the Olympic movement after the deep rift that has developed.

The latest set-back has been a request by 20 teams, mostly from Western Europe, to be allowed to miss the mass opening parade of athletes or to use the Olympic flag and anthem rather than their national symbols. - Changes in the Olympic rules to allow this must be approved by the full 1.0. C. membership and 1.0. C. sources say many members are opposed to such a dilution of Olympic tradition.

The Olympic movement has been in turmoil since President Carter called for

a boycott of the Moscow Games because of the Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan. The first Games in Olympic history’ to take place in a Communist country have already been stripped of many of the best athletes by the withdrawal of the United States, of teams from about 60 other. countries, and of some individual sportsmen in sympathy with the boycott.

The Soviet media have countered the boycott with a barrage of propaganda accusing the United States and countries following its example of trying to wreck the Olympic movement.

But officials of the Soviet organising committee, while agreeing to follow 1.0. C. rules, are obviously unhappy at the prospect of a flagless parade and a dwindled number of sportsmen.

The ceremony, due to be televised on the day, July

19, was rehearsed in wind \ and rain by thousands of

schoolgirls, students, musicians, sportsmen, and soldiers earlier this week and its director, Josef Tumanov, said he was hoping to inject the event with the flavour and traditions of Russian culture.

The soldiers were being drilled to raise combinations of banners spelling out in giant letters across the stadium the words “radost” (joy) and “schastie” (happiness). But the Soviet capital has been unusually quiet, with little of the carnival atmosphere which has heralded in previous Games. The Olympic village population has built up unusually slowly to its present total of 1600 athletes and officials. Soviet organisers are expecting 80 to 90 countries finally to attend. Fifty-eight have so far arrived. Some teams, such as the

Australians and the British, are coming only a few days before their events, and many athletes will leave as soon as they finish their sport rather than waiting for the usually joyous closing ceremony. The 1.0. C. session, which about 75 of the 88 members are expected to attend despite the absence of some of their teams from the Games, is also due to elect a new president to replace Lord Killanin, of Ireland. His eight turbulent years as head of the independent sports body end when the Olympic flame is extinguished on August 3 and he has said he will not stand for re-election.

Yesterday, despite heavy rain, track and field performers were jogging and exercising inside the tightly guarded village complex as the Soviet press renewed its attacks on the United States and sympathetic countries.