I.O.C. head praises African ‘maturity’

Press, 20 December 1985, Page 32

I.O.C. head praises African ‘maturity’

NZPA-Reuter Addis Ababa The head of the Olympic movement, Juan Antonio Samaranch, yesterday paid tribute to the growing maturity of African nations despite what he called provocation by supporters of apartheid. Addressing the general assembly of the Association of African National Olympic Committees (A.N.0.C.A.), Mr Samaranch noted the successes achieved since A.N.O.C.A. was formed four years ago. The President of the International Olympic Committee (1.0. C. added: “One of the most striking successes has been the maturity Shown by all the African countries in the face of extreme provocation

by certain proponents of apartheid on the eve of the Olympic Games.” Although he did not name racially-divided South Africa, 1.0. C. sources said Mr Samaranch was referring to visits by . overseas sports teams, particularly rugby tours, arranged by the white-ruled Republic during the build-up to recent Olympics. He said the aim of such visits “was to deceive Africa into excluding herself from competition” — as was the case in 1976 when African nations walked out on the eve of the Montreal games in protest at the presence of New Zealand, which had maintained sports links with South Africa.

But although South Africa still sought to arrange such visits in the few remaining sports in which it had not been banned from the international arena because of its apartheid policies, Mr Samaranch said African nations now refused to be manipulated. As a result, nearly all the African nations had competed in last year’s Los Angeles Olympics, with considerable success, Mr Samaranch noted. He made no mention of the fact that his Ethiopian hosts had themselves joined the Soviet-led 15-nation Communist boycott of the games. Neither did he comment on the recent decision by South Africa to withdraw an

invitation to the British Lions Rugby Union team to tour the Republic in 1986, or the cancellation by New Zealand of a proposed rugby visit to South Africa earlier this year.

These decisions were widely considered to have removed any risk of an African boycott of next year’s Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh.

Mr Samaranch also expressed his hope that an African city would apply to host the Olympics “one day soon”. He noted that Africa was the only continent which had not yet staged the games. Ethiopia meanwhile voicdd its full support for North Korea’s demand to co-host the 1988 Seoul Olym-

pic Games. The Ethiopian Sports Commissioner, Tsegaw Ayele, told the meeting of African Olympic leaders: “Ethiopia gives its full support to the initiative taken by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to cohost the 24th Olympic Games with South Korea.” Although the Games were awarded by the 1.0. C. to Seoul, the North has threatened to boycott the event unless the competitions are shared equally between Pyongyang and the South Korean capital. Discussions between Olympic officials of tfe two countries at the LO.C.’s Swiss headquarters in Octo-

ber ended without agreement, although a second round of talks is scheduled for Lausanne on January 89. The agenda for the resumed negotiations will include proposals which would allow some preliminary events to be held in North Korea. The meeting will also consider the possibility that some competitions, such as the cycling road races, might start in the North and finish in the South.

The two sides will also discuss the possibility of marching together at the opening ceremony behind their respective national flags.