Sports bodies told to take lead

Press, 16 March 1982, Page 6

Sports bodies told to take lead

NZPA Staff correspondent - Canberra Sports administrators and not the Government should take the lead in solving difficulties caused by New Zealand for the Brisbane .Commonwealth Games, said the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Mr Cooper), yesterday. “I hope that wherever possible in the future we can have sports administrators administrating their own activity,” he said. “These things really should not be conducted by . politicians. Wherever possible the politicians should be looking

after things economic, things that are more important than probably an issue that is best controlled and advanced by sports administrators.” Mr Cooper admitted that New Zealand had been “caught out” by HART at an Organisation of African Unity meeting at Addis Ababa earlier this month, where, after consideration of a letter, from the group, Foreign Ministers said that if New Zealand took part in the: Games at Brisbane they (the African countries) would “re-

consider their position.” on attending. In spite of that. Mr Cooper said, New Zealand was not considering having diplomatic representation at a meeting of the. Supreme Council of Sport in Africa at Maputo, -Mozambique, in early May. That meeting is expected to recommend to the O.A.U. whether Commonwealth nations should boycott the Games over the Springbok toiir of New Zealand. “We are watching the thing and in the meantime we expect that the Com-

monwealth Games organisation in New Zealand will show quite clearly to the meetings that are held overseas that their own record is extremely good in regard to non-sports contacts with South Africa.” Mr Cooper agreed that as far as the Government was concerned the ball was in the sports administrators’ court. The Maputo meeting and a follow-up O.A.U. summit meeting in June or July will receive close-attention from Australian, diplomatic staff who will put); the Australian Government view that a boy-

cott would be detrimental to the anti-apartheid movement. Mr Cooper said yesterday he hoped that by the time the Africans met at Maputo “they are able to get quite clearly a message from the New Zealand Commonwealth Games and Olympic Association of the track record of that particular organisation which has no questions against it. It has not competed against “ South Africans." i Sir Shridath Ramphal’s plea, pace 2 ■ r ■■ '