ATHLETES’ ATTIRE

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 240, 7 July 1931, Page 10

ATHLETES’ ATTIRE

Amateurism Involved STATUS QUESTION Ruling Asked For A request made by the three American amateur athletes, recently here, that they should be provided with a suit of clothing while in the Dominion, has raised the question of the amateur status, and the Council of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association has decided to obtain a ruling on it.' The secretary (Mr. L. A. Tracy) notified at last evening’s meeting of the council that he had forwarded the following letter to Mr. B. Ekelund, hon. secretary of the International Amateur Athletic Association, Norrkoping, Sweden:— “My council desires me to convey its thanks and appreciation of your kind reception of our Mr. Austad, and also for assistance in the gause of athletics in this Dominion. Owing to its isolation and the long distance that has to be covered by sea voyage, the strict limitation of 21 days in respect of visiting athletes from overseas, except from Australian States, would entirely preclude the possibility of my association arranging for visits of athletes from America or European countries, and in that connection my council is. most appreciative of the action of the controlling body in waiving the rule to meet our necessity in re? epect of the recent tour of the American team, Messrs. Rothert, Simpson, and Kiser. The visit of English, South African, and American athletes in the past, as also that of Dr. Peltzer, has been of great value to our local athletes, and the sport generally in this country, and the tour of the three American gentlemen named has been of further help to us, and has given a fillip to our sports. “In connection with the visit of Messrs. Rothert’, Simpson and Kiser, a question on which my council would be glad of a ruling, arose out of a request made by the three gentlemen named that my association should provide them each with a suit of clothing as clothing , expenses. No similar request having at any time been previously made, and my association having always placed a rigid interpretation on the rule governing. the amateur status, the request was declined. As a matter of principle, my association regards it as its incumbent duty to see that n infringement of the rule governing the status of any visiting athlete takes place during the sojourn in this Dominion. We place an equally rigid interpretation on the rule in respect of our own athletes. The question of clothing expenses having, however, been raised by the American visitors, my council is very desirous of obtaining a ruling on the subject. We wish to do what is strictly right in the matter, and if we have erred at all in declining the request made, it has been the result of our anxiety to correctly interpret the rules, and protect the amateur status of all who are under our jurisdiction. May we ask for the favour of a ruling on the matter, andsome indication;of what is allowable in such cases.”