Boycott teams should be banned: Walker

Press, 23 July 1986, Page 68

Boycott teams should be banned: Walker

NZPA staff correspondent Edinburgh New Zealand’s former world mile record holder, John Walker, wants to see countries who have boycotted the Edinburgh festival banned from the 1990 Games In Auckland. Walker believes a Games ban will be the only means of jolting nations out of their constant boycotting tactics. “The days of the traditional Empire and Commonwealth Games are gone. It doesn’t mean everything to the athletes any more,” Walker said yesterday. “They can compete in their world and European championships without any political interference. “Athletics is now big enough to stand up to politicians and start dictating to them what we want.” The Commonwealth Games Federation should follow the Olympic committee lead, said Walker, in banning countries for one Games. “Any nation which now boycotts an Olympics will be suspended for the next Games,” he said. Walker said if something was not done soon to prevent political intervention, the whole concept of the Games would fall apart “They are talking of these Games being run at a $9 million loss and countries will not be prepared to stage them at this rate. “Organisers will not be able to secure sponsorship if countries and the top athletes don’t come. “It now becomes a big risk staging the Games. I feel sorry for the Scottish organisers here trying their best — it’s not their fault” Some countries could not afford to miss the Games, said Walker, because they had nothing else going for them except sport. The athletes were suffering all the time and it would make no difference if they were banned for one Games because their Governments were telling them to pull out anyway, he said.