Games selectors expected to take tough line

Press, 15 April 1986, Page 44

Games selectors expected to take tough line

By ROD DEW A team of about 180 competitors and officials is expected to be named for the Edinburgh Commonwealth Games at a meeting of the New Zealand Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association in Wellington this evening. It will be the largest team ever to leave New Zealand, easily surpassing the previous biggest of 158 which contested the last Commonwealth Games in Brisbane four years ago. There will very likely be, however, some trimming by the Games selectors (Roy Dutton, Jack Prestney, and Bruce Cameron) of the nominations from the 10 sports participating in the Games. Word has leaked out that several sports are likely to be affected by the tough line now expected from the selection panel. In spite of this, all 10 sports — athletics, badminton, rowing, boxing, cycling, bowling, shooting, swimming, weightlifting, and wrestling — are expected to be represented at the Games, which open in the Meadowbank Stadium in Edinburgh on July 24. “The minimum object is to win at least one medal in every sport,” said the general team manager, Mr Bruce Ullrich, of Christchurch, yesterday. “We won medals in nine of the 10 sports at Brisbane. Only weightlifting missed out,” said Mr Ullrich, who was also general manager at Brisbane.

He said he would be sorry if.any of the nominations were rejected by the Games selectors, because he knew just how hard people had worked to achieve selection. “I would like the selectors to

take a long-term view, and keep the Auckland Games in mind,” he said.

Auckland will be the venue for the next Commonwealth Games, in 1990 — provided the unofficial rugby tour of South Africa by New Zealand players does not react unfairly against the organisers.

Lack of money was unlikely to be a reason for any trimming of the nominations, Mr Ullrich said. “While fund-raising has been difficult, we hope that everybody will get behind it after the team is announced. We will get the money we need somehow.”

Mr Ullrich is very disappointed about the rugby tour about to take place, and said the players concerned were being very selfish. “They had a compensatory tour of Argentina last year. This new tour came as a great shock, frankly. We did not even have a chance to make representations.

“There is a rugby tour every year somewhere. People representing New Zealand at a Commonwealth Games have sacrificed four years to achieve this.” He said he was extremely unhappy about this disregard of the rights of other sportsmen. “This tour brings New Zealand back into focus, and this is something we have tried to avoid. We have had a hammering in the past. I am tremendously disappointed for the team members,” said Mr Ullrich.

Officials at Edinburgh would have to “take it on the chin” and do their best to see that New Zealanders were given every opportunity to compete up to their maximum performance. “We will protect them as well as

we possibly can.”

The size of the team will be boosted by the inclusion of rowing as one of the sports for the first time since 1962. Twentyfive rowers have been nominated, and they must be regarded as a potentially good source of medals. Australia will be a strong rival in the rowing, and will have 42 rowers in its total team of 300. Mr Ullrich is not concerned about the added responsibility of taking away such a large New Zealand team. “I have been gearing myself up for this, and I don’t think there will be any problems.”

He has arranged a seminar for all officials in Wellington on May 2 and 3, and on May 12 he will leave for Edinburgh to inspect the venues and Games village.

The full list of main officials is: Assistant general manager, Mr Graeme McCabe (Putaruru); women’s manager, Barbara Levido (Wanganui); director of medical services, Matt Marshall (Whangarei); team doctor, Dave Gerrard (Dunedin); physiotherapists, Mark Oram (Palmerston North), chief, lam Sim (Christchurch), Tony Snell (Napier), Marion Thogersen (Auckland); section managers — athletics, Steve Rollings (Auckland); badminton, Mary Mansell (Wellington); bowls, Kerry Clark (Wellington) and Pat Weaver (Hastings); boxing, Trevor Mitchell (Wainuiomata); cycling, Bruce Dawe (Christchurch); rowing, Dudley Storey (Auckland); shooting, Graeme Hudson (Palmerston North); swimming, David Mahon (Auckland); weightlifting, Bruce Cameron (Auckland); wrestling, Brian Stannett (Te Awamutu).