Olympic campaign launched

Press, 21 November 1987, Page 96

Olympic campaign launched

There is nothing quite like the aura of the Olympic Games, agreed Lesley Murdoch and Neroli Fairhall, who attended the launching of a nationwide fundraising campaign to send the New Zealand Olympic team to the Seoul Olympics next year at the Shirley Boys’ High School yesterday. -

The campaign is a joint venture between the New Zealand Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association, the secondary schools and VISA New Zealand.

Students will seek the sponsorship of family and friends for participation in their school sports. Half the money raised wUl.be retained by the' Softools while the remainder will be donated to the Olympic

An incentive has been added to encourage students — a $2OOO prize for the school in each of the three regions ■ which raises the highest amount of money per capita. Runners-up will receive $lOOO.

VISA has already made a significant $lOO,OOO donation. About 5000 Christchurch pupils will take part in the campaign and the emphasis will be "on achievement through participation.”

Murdoch and Fairhall were both selected in the 1980 and 1984 Olympic teams but only competed in the 1984 games after the 1980 boycott. Fairhall excelled in archery and Murdoch was a member of the New Zealand hockey team. Fairhall also won the

approval of New Zealand hearts when she won the gold iriedal In archery at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane from the confines of her wheelchair. Murdoch is well known for her skill in both hockey and cricket at natioiial level.

Both sporting personalities were fully supportive of the innovative programme to help reach the 52.5 M target. required to send the New Zealand contingent to Seoul. "It is good to get an awareness into schools. Often kids are so far removed from Olympic Games and the people who compete in them,” said Fairhall.

“It really ensures the future, of the development of sport. People with sporting potential might be discovered who per-

haps would not have ordinarily competed in that sport,” added Murdoch.

Fairhall has yet to qualify for the Seoul Olympics but Murdoch was part of the unlucky hockey team which was excluded and she will not be competing. Both said the Olympics had certain magic. "I remember at the Olympics in Los Angeles in 1984 wwhen we were going to breakfast one morning Sebastian Coe (a great English mile middle-distance runner) casually greeted us. We were absolutely shocked that such a great athlete talked to us but we were really no different to him. We do lack mental tardness which we neet! to develop,” said Murdoch.