New N.Z. canoes banned

Press, 26 September 1988, Page 36

New N.Z. canoes banned

By

TOM BRIDGMAN

of NZPA in Seoul New Zealand’s potential gold medal canoeists have been banned from using new faster kayaks in defence of their Olympic titles beginning today. The New Zealand team manager, Bruce Ullrich, said the canoes were ruled out as contravening article 26 of the International Olympic Committee charter which deals with “the spirit of fair play.” The canoes, unveiled on Friday, have fitted special aerodynamic wind deflectors, called “pods,” which cut down wind-resistance. They were the brainchild of the triple gold medallist, lan Ferguson. On Friday the canoeists would not say if

they gave a speed advantage but Mr Ullrich said yesterday that over 1000 m the advantage was “something like three boat lengths.” That is a big margin where races are decided by centimetres. Arguments over the new canoes have gone from the original scrutineers on Friday to the

canoe regatta race committee, to the board of the International Canoe Federation and now to the 1.0. C. The canoe manager, Bill Garlick, was yesterday still fighting the ban and was believed to have got the support of the New Zealand 1.0. C. member, Tay Wilson, to put the New Zealand case to the highest authority. Mr Ullrich said it appeared the Olympic officials “are determined not to have the canoes with pods on.” “There is a genuine feeling that it is not in the best interests of the sport to have modifications of this nature,” he said. “I think we’ve caught them completely with their pants down,” Mr

Ullrich said. “They just don’t know how to cope with it.” Mr Ullrich said the New Zealand canoeists had submitted alternative canoes without pods. “They are probably resolving themselves to paddle without pods.” But for the last fortnight the New Zealand paddlers have been training in secret with the new canoes on a lake near Chung Pyung north-east of Seoul. They made plain on Friday they felt very comfortable with the new kayaks, so the question remains as to whether their Olympic performance will be affected by the ban. Olympics, pages 21-25