Police warned Games competitors

Press, 25 November 1983, Page 4

Police warned Games competitors

PA Timaru Timaru police yesterday confirmed that competitors and officials who were to attend the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games were spoken to because of fears for their safety. “Competitors and officials were seen by the police because the police had reason to believe that some action contrary to their wellbeing might occur,” said the Superintendent of the Timaru police, Mr J. W. Wooders.

Allegations that substantial pressure was placed on New Zealand athletes not to attend the Moscow Games, made in a newly published book, have been supported by athletes who were originally selected in the Moscow team.

The authors of the book, Ron Palenski of the New Zealand Press Association and Tery Maddaford of the “New Zealand Herald,” assert in their book “The Games” that the Government used tactics never before seen in New Zealand sport to persuade athletes not to attend the Moscow Olympics. Superintendent Wooders said that there was nothing in the actions of the police that could be construed as an attempt to dissuade any sportsperson or official from following their chosen sport “The police actions were not influenced by any facet of Government, but only because certain incidents caused a genuine fear for the wellbeing of those persons chosen to represent

New Zealand,” he said. Superintendent Wooders said those incidents that caused the police to fear for the safety of the Games representatives occurred in the North Island, but that he could not give details of what had happened. A spokesman from police headquarters in Wellington said yesterday that the police concern arose over threats to the Russian Embassy and to individual sportsmen and women. It is understood that there was concern that competitors might receive threatening calls or letter bombs and instruction was given on what to do, should such incidents happen. The boycott of the 1980 Olympics arose because of Russia’s invasion of Afghanistan.