Decision staggers bowlers

Press, 8 July 1983, Page 26

Decision staggers bowlers

PA Auckland New Zealand’s 85,000 lawn bowlers have been dealt a body blow by the New Zealand Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association decision to include wrestling in the application for the staging of the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland. The steering committee for the 1990 Games had included bowls ahead of wrestling for its suggested list of the 10 sports to be contested, should the country’s application win the necessary support at next year’s selection meeting in Los Angeles. But the N.Z.O.C.G.A. de-

cided to replace bowls with wrestling. After the original steering committee list was released, the New Zealand Wrestling Association made submissions to the N.Z.O.C.G.A. seeking to have its sport included. It backed written submissions by having its president, Keith Scott, at the meeting where he again put the case which eventually won the day. Bowlers were not represented at the meeting at which 20 delegates voted in a secret- ballot before drawing up the list of 10 sports. Athletics and swimming are the only obligatory on the Com-

monweaith Games calendar. The Auckland steering committee had suggested cycling, boxing, lawn bowls, judo, gymnastics, weightlifting, badminton and shooting as the remaining eight sports. All but bowls were endorsed by the N.Z.O.C.G.A. which has the final say in the matter. Its decision is not open to appeal. Of the sports contested at Brisbane last year, archery and bowls have been omitted in favour of judo and gymnastics. Only 10 countries contested wrestling in Brisbane against the 17 in lawn bowls, yet the chairman of the N2.0.C.G.A., M& Roy

Dutton, said the meeting felt the decision in favour of wrestling could help the Auckland bid. “Some countries, like India, Nigeria and Malta, are keen to have wrestlers at the Games whereas they have shown no interest in bowls,” said Mr Dutton. He said that it was a democratic vote taken after a thorough discussion. Mr lan Birch, the promotions director for the New Zealand Bowls Association, said he was staggered by the decision: “It is unbelievable that a sport which has 55,000 registered male bowlers and 30,000 women has been treated like this,” said Mr Birch.