Tears all round

Press, 28 July 1986, Page 20

Tears all round

NZPA-Reuter Edinburgh Two Scottish weightlifters, Charles Revolta and Alan Ogilvie, finished second and third in the Commonwealth Games flyweight class on Saturday — but all they received were toy koalas. An Australian, Greg Hayman, won the gold medal, but the two Scots fell victim to the boycott staged by more than half the Commonwealth territories. Because of withdrawals the 52kg category boasted only three entrants instead of the original seven and under games rules the silver and bronze medals were not awarded.

Hayman was in tears of joy after the event “My mum and dad couldn’t afford the fare to come here but they will have been watching on television at home. I came here to do it I bloody well did it” Revolta and Ogilvie were almost in tears themselves, out of frustration and disappointment

Instead of medals as they stood on the rostrum, they received a handshake and, from Hayman, miniature, clipon koalas.

“Perhaps it is a little bit ironic that the man presenting the medal was the legal representative of the Commonwealth Games Federation and perhaps having done so he may care to change his interpretation of the constitution,” Revolta said.

The pull-out by 32 of the 58 eligible territories has hit weightlifting, boxing and wrestling especially hard and only the gold medal will be awarded in a number of classes.