African attitude to Gaimes ‘hardening’

Press, 9 March 1982, Page 2

African attitude to Gaimes ‘hardening’

NZPA staff‘correspondent ’ ' London' ’ The inflexibility of the Commonwealth Games Federation and the continuing intransigence of New Zealand were combining to harden African attitudes towards the Commonwealth Games, said the chairman of the South African Non-racial Olympic Committee (5.A.N.R.0.C.), Mr Sam Ramsamy, last evening. Mr Ramsamy returned from a meeting of the, Supreme Council for Sport in Africa in Libya yesterday and said that there could be a widespread boycott of the

Commonwealth Games if New Zealand was allowed to compete. He said that the council wanted New Zealand excluded from the .Commonwealth Games and also wanted a total boycott of tbe English cricketers now in South Africa. “It has been decided to call upon all African, Caribbean, Asian, Pacific, and friendly European countries to refrain from taking part in the Commonwealth Games if New Zealand is allowed to take part,” said Mr Ramsamy.

His statement represented a hardening of his views and he said that this reflected the state of African thought on the issue. "I had not talked with Supreme Council heads for some time but after deep discussions with Abraham Ordia (the president of the council) my attitude has been fortified," Mr Ramsamy said. ' ' , ■ - ’ ?' ' “The African nations have had to harden their attitudes. We were prepared to bend, but the Commonwealth Games Federation was not prepared to compromise by

calling a special meeting to discuss the New Zealand question.” Mr Ramsamy described as valueless the recent statement by Mr Lance Cross, of the New Zealand Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association, that his organisation had no contact with South Africa and that it had denounced the Springbok tour. "It does not condemn apartheid and it is incorrect for Mr Cross to say that his association has no links with South Africa,” Mr Ramsamy said. “One of the groups in his association, the New Zea-

o land Yachting Association, d certainly has links. “Lance Cross has been s playing dirty tricks with us !- since 1976.” if Mr Ramsamy said there c were only two possible steps s that would prevent an i- African boycott of the Brish bane Games. d “The first is for New Zeak land to withdraw voluntarily," he said. “The second is n for the Commonwealth t Games Federation to call a s meeting to discuss the issue, h At present, we are being y denied a forum to find a q solution. X; i- “The Commonwealth is

gone — bust. So is the Commonwealth Games Federation. What use is an organisation if it can’t get all the members to the Games? “The question is: should one country not go or 30? The ball is now in the court of New Zealand and the Commonwealth Games Fed- . eration. , “The African and Caribbean countries want a meeting but the Games Federation is ignoring our calls.” Mr Ramsamy said , that if the boycott went ahead the Commonwealth Games would be “an empty shell.”