Budd no innocent, says Fran Wilde

Press, 4 March 1988, Page 3

Budd no innocent, says Fran Wilde

PA Wellington The British athlete, Zola Budd, is just using a passport of convenience, according to the Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Wilde. New Zealand would try to have a change to regulations passed which could prevent Budd from attending the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland, she said in Parliament. Budd is due to visit New Zealand this month with the British team for the World Cross-Country Championships. “She is not a young innocent abroad.” Ms Wilde said. She had maintained her international connections and in 1987 had spent nine months in South

Africa. It was time international sports agencies changed their ! rules to stop athletes competing j on "passports of conveni- ; ence.” A Commonwealth 1 Games Federation meet- ! ing in January had moved | to tighten the (federation ' rule on international resi- ! dence which would prob- ! ably prevent Budd from I competing , in the Com-1 monwealth Games inl Auckland. The New’ Zealand Fed-1 eration had expected the; subject to be raised at the I December meeting of the! International i Athletic' Federation, but that didr not happen. It now in-! tended to propose an! amendment to the rule atthe federation's April

meeting. | I “I suppose some people would support the view that poor Zola is a young I innocent, lass running for ; the love' of sport who is being harassed by political heavies from African countries,” Ms Wilde said. "That'is nonsense. I Zola Budd is not an innocent abroad.; “She is a young woman deliberately manipulating the systeip chasing big dollars ana continuing to do so using a British passport. ! "The issue is not one of a young j w’omen being penalised ]for matters beyond her control; the issue is not a white liberal issue. It is an issue for everyone in New Zealand and everyone in the world opposed to apartheid.”