Russia and N.Z. should have closer sporting ties

Press, 24 February 1988, Page 32

Russia and N.Z. should have closer sporting ties

It may well be that in the near future New Zealand athletes will be able to come for training sessions and for competitions at the Olympic Stadium in MOSCOW’S Luzhniki as easily as, say, to Athletic Park.

At least, following the visit to Moscow from February 9 to 10 by Mr Peter Tapsell, Minister of Recreation and Sport, and Sir Ronald Scott, chairman of the Hillary Commission for Recreation and Sport, quite good prospects have opened up for this. It was the first visit in the history of the two countries by sports leaders of New Zealand to the Soviet Union, and, although it was very brief, the results were highly encouraging for athletes of both countries.

Deputy chairman of the U.S.S.R. State Committee for Sport, Nikolai Rusak (Deputy Minister for Sport), proposed concluding a long-term agreement on principles of cooperation between the sports organisations of the U.S.S.R. and New Zealand. The draft of this agreement was handed to the New Zealand side during the concluding talks at the

State Committee for Sport on February 10.

“We will consider this agreement as soon as possible, and I believe we have to agree with it. And I also hope we will be working as strong as we can,” said Mr Tapsell in an interview in Moscow. The draft agreement provides for the participation of teams and individual athletes in bilateral and multilateral competitions conducted in either country, for joint training, the exchange of coaches, scientists and specialists for mutual information and study of experience, the exchange of technical and official representatives as observers at major contests in the U.S.S.R. and New Zealand, and for participation in various congresses and conferences of interest for both sides. Also, it is envisaged to exchange information, research works and programmes in the field of physical culture, sports, sports science and medicine, publications and films on safe training of athletes, and also . to exchange experience in the construction and exploitation of sports structures, production of sports gear, equipment and scientific

apparatus. In short, the draft aims to strengthen and develop all-round sporting ties between the U.S.S.R. and New Zealand, which in the final analysis could improve mutual understanding between the peoples of our two countries. Judging by what Soviet officials said, the Soviet side considers ,the conclusion of such an agreement a very important matter, all the more so since both countries have many problems in common in the field of sports. This, incidentally, was noted also by representatives of New Zealand.

“We found many common problems in different fields of sport,” said Sir Ronald. He noted, in particular, that both in New Zealand and the U.S.S.R. far from everything is fine as regards the development of mass physical culture and sport.

“Both here and there sufficiently large groups of. population are not involved in physical culture and health-building activities on the part of sports organisations. But the Soviet Union has been working at this much longer than we and during

this visit we have gathered a lot of very interesting and useful information.” “The Soviet Union has made tremendous advances not only in world sport but in encouraging sport and recreation for people,” Mr Tapsell took up his colleague’s thought. “We have come to learn from Soviet experience as best as we can.” To learn from each other’s successful experience benefits both sides. This was also pointed out by Nikolai Rusak, who said, "New Zealanders have many interesting and instructive things for us in the organisation of physical culture and health-building work among the population.” The first step to meet each other has been taken. There are already concrete proposals — Soviet downhill skiers, football players and yachtsmen have been invited to New Zealand for training sessions. Agreement in the exchange of representatives of these sports covers the next one to two years.

“Let us hope that this is only a beginning,” said Nikolai Rusak. “If a comprehensive long-term

agreement is concluded, then perhaps every two years we will be concluding protocols on co-opera-tion in the most diverse fields of sport. And this will undoubtedly serve to improve our mutual understanding and friendship and will strengthen the international Olympic movement as a whole on a democratic basis.”

In the course of their visit to Moscow, the New Zealand guests visited the State Institute of Physical Culture of the U.S.S.R., which trains specialists in sport, two schools, one sports and the other a general one, where they were shown how physical culture is taught.

“We have a lot of support from the Soviet Union,” Mr Tapsell said in conclusion, meaning that during last year alone New Zealand was visited by five Soviet sport delegations — footballers, basketball players, mountain climbers, figure skaters, gymnasts and acrobats — and several Soviet artistic companies, including ballet dancers of the Bolshoi Theatre. “I would like to bring some more cultural and sports groups to the U.5.5.R.,” concluded Mr Tapsell.