No disruption expected

Press, 19 July 1988, Page 40

No disruption expected

Any disruption to the Seoul Olympic Games by North Korea or from student unrest was "fairly unlikely,” the manager of the New Zealand Olympic team, Bruce Ullrich, said yesterday.

Mr Ullrich, who will have 160 competitors and officials in his charge in Seoul in September, has just returned from South Korea where he spent a week inspecting venues, checking accommodation and talking with key officials.

South Korea was trying to be positive in its relations with the North. "They have gone to a great deal of trouble to remove any risk of disruption,” he said. A lot of

international pressure was also being placed on North Korea to keep in line.

Mr Ullrich visited the demilitarised zone and returned convinced that it would have been quite unrealistic to try and hold part of the Games in North Korea. “They would need to build new roads between the two countries, and be able to cope with thousands of journalists wanting to cross the border. The way things are, there is no way North Korea could stage Games events.”

Accommodation in the Olympic Village had not yet been allocated, but it looked as if New Zealand would be in with Australia

and other Oceania countries. That would be ideal, he said.

The only problem apparent in the village was a shortage of furniture. There was the basic bed, table and a few chairs but nowhere for the athletes to lounge around and relax.

More than 14,000 competitors and officials, and nearly 13,000 new media representatives are now expected at the Seoul Games, which formally open on September 17. The New Zealand team will depart on September 3 and take up residence in the village the next day.

© Air New Zealand might have to waive ex-

cess baggage charges when the New Zealand Olympic team flies out of Auckland for Seoul. Each athlete has been asked by the Seoul Olympic Organising Committee to bring a stone from their country to the Olympic village.

Mr Ullrich said the stones would then become part of a monument. Mr Ullrich is expected to have the biggest weight problem as national Olympic committees have been asked to bring bigger stones than the athletes. “We’re looking for a piece of greenstone. We’ll probably have a few extra stones in the bags just in case any of the team members forget to bring one along,” he said.