U.N. body to promote anti-tour campaign

Press, 16 May 1985, Page 22

U.N. body to promote anti-tour campaign

NZPA-AFP Paris The campaign to wreck New Zealand’s rugby union tour of South Africa later this year will be stepped up when the United Nations’ special committee against apartheid holds an international conference in Paris from today. The conference, to be attended by sports officials the world over, members of the International Olympic Committee, and the Organisation of African Unity, will “intensify the campaign to abort the proposed New Zealand rugby tour”, a statement said yesterday.

It will further support moves by the Australian Cricket Board to initiate action against its cricketers who have broken their contracts for this autumn’s proposed rebel tour of South Africa, details of which emerged last month, just before the Australians left for the Ashes tour of England. The conference will step up calls for the exclusion of South Africa from all international sports federations - in line with action suggested by the Association of National Olympic Committees. ;There will also be an

appeal to the few Governments, especially European and Anglo-Saxon, to block entry of South Africans to all sports competitions in their respective countries and moves to plan a huge campaign to counter South Africa’s propaganda and attempts to create respectability for apartheid sport. The three-day conference, to be held at Unesco headquarters in Paris, is being organised in conjunction with the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa and the London-based South African Non-Racial Olympic Committee.