Future emphasis on water sports

Press, 15 August 1984, Page 48

Future emphasis on water sports

The last two weeks have been of deep significance for New Zealand sport. For once, the spotlight has not been on the All Blacks, and whether they can beat the Wallabies in the third test against a background of the manufactured saga of the DeansHewson rivalry. No, the All Blacks have been overshadowed by events at Los Angeles, and the significance stems from the fact that most of New Zealand’s Olympic medals were won on the water. This is perhaps not surprising, considering that New Zealand is a country surrounded by water and slashed with internal waterways. The overwhelming success of the canoeists, following hard on the bold showings of the yachtsman and rowers, could conceivably, launch a wave of national enthusiasm for aquatic sports. New Zealand’s lack of success in track and field

was an indication that the Arthur Lydiard-inspired days of middle and long distance supremacy are over. Instead of men, women and children hotfooting it around Hagley Park each evening, there might be throngs of people at the Antigua Boatsheds, eager for a little Kayaking along the Avon. The water-men’s triumphs at Los Angeles could also make a significant influence on future funding by the New Zealand Sports Foundation. Undoubtedly, the country’s top performers could not have competed with such vigour and confidence had it not been for soild backing from the foundation. But that benevolent body is keenly interested in good results for its cash outlay, and it cannot help but be impressed by the canoeing break-through, the high standard over-all of yachting, and the continued strength in rowing.

The man with his fingers delicately poised above the foundation’s purse strings, Sir Ronald Scott, also headed New Zealand’s Olympic party. Consequently he saw at first hand the fruits of the foundation’s investment. Future grants might well be influenced by the outcome of events at Lake Casitas and on the waters off Long Beach. Land sports may find it increasingly hard to attract the foundation’s backing. Much of the money raised by the foundation comes from the business sector, and so there will be a hardnosed desire to see a reasonable dividend. It does not help build confidence when financial backers hear of Mike O’Rourke, the javelin thrower, being excused for not qualifying because of injury, and then making a disastrous showing in the coliseum. One man who would have watched that debacle with a puckered brow would be Dr Dave Gerrard, who was attached to the New Zealand team as a medical adviser. Back in 1968 he was in the same position as O’Rourke as a reigning Commonwealth Games champion—in his case, for the 200 m butterfly. But he failed by a blink to reach the qualifying time, after training in a tiny, unheated pool, and was excluded from the Mexico City Olympics. How standards have slipped. But, for the moment, the canoeists will be the centre of attention, and their case for financial support and Olympic selection, looking towards 1988, is undeniably strong. The wonder of their achievement is that the Los Angeles kayak contingent represented one-third of the country’s regular competitors. Most of this crop of dedicated paddlers have come over from the board events at surf lifesaving carnivals, so increased recruitment from that source can be expected. The most heartening aspect of the canoeing aftermath is that no-one attempted to make mischief out of the fact that lan Ferguson and Alan Thampson were two of the four New Zealanders who competed in the Moscow Olympics. , Perhaps sanity is