GREATER SATISFACTION

Evening Post, Issue 86, 11 April 1936, Page 18

GREATER SATISFACTION

SELECTION OF BOOT AND GILES FOE BEKLM

There will be satisfaction in Canterbury in particular and to a wide body of sportsmen in general over the decision of the council of the New Zealand Olympic < and British Empire Games Association to include the athlete, V. P. Boot, and the cyclist, G. R. P. Giles, in the New Zealand team to compete in the Olympic Games at Berlin in August next. The position was such at the end of last week that it seemed fairly certain that the cases of these two men would be reopened. The council of the Olympic Association met for the purpose of discussing the position on Monday night of this week when the various representations to hand (reference to which has already been made in the news columns) requesting the council to reopen the question, etc., were before the meeting. There was much talk; in fact it is doubtful if anything more could have been said than was said, for the discussion was a solid and quick-fire one having some big moments. But that is by the way; what was of moment was whether the council would decide to open the doors to the two late nominations, and, if so, whether they would be selected.

Doubtless from the time the representations were made the question of whether they had a chance of being selected on a review of the situation was not very far from the minds of Boot and Giles, but had they been listening in to the proceedings on Monday night they would have been entitled to be excused if they felt some mental strain. The council did not rush its decision. It was reached by stages, each inter-related. The first question was whether the nominations of Boot and Giles should be reconsidered. Having obtained a favourable verdict on this point, the meeting

proceeded to discuss whether their nominations should be accepted. The two nominations were accepted, and then the council proceeded to deal with the question of whether the two nominees should be selected and the financial terms of their selection. In the final result the council decided that Boot and Giles be included in the team subject to the national associations which nominated them (the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association and the New Zealand Amateur Cycling Association) finding the total of their expenses, which the council stipulated must be in the hands of its executive by April 20.

N.Z.A.A.A. ENTHUSIASM.

Representatives of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association, who, following a meeting of the council of that association earlier in the evening, strongly urged the inclusion of Boot and .spoke of him most enthusiastically, stated that this association was prepared to make a contribution of up to £ 130 towards, Boot's expenses from their own funds. The position of the Cycling Association in urging Giles's nomination was somewhat different. That association, it was stated, has only £25 in its overseas fund, but from the text of a telegram from Canterbury and from what has been heard from this quarter the view was expressed that the money would be found for Giles. With the Easter vacation intervening those behind the nomination of Boot and Giles have not been given much time in which to raise the necessary funds. As, however, the team will be sailing from New Zealand early in May, and their outfitting and other matters will have to be attended to before then, the council was very definite that prompt action was essential, and it has placed both the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association and the New Zealand Cycling Association on their mettle.

Dealing specifically with the case of Boot it does seem that it would have been an unreasonable attitude for the Olympic Games Council to adopt if it had declined to reconsider his nomination, especially in view of his two record-breaking achievements coming as they did on top of two first-class performances at the New Zealand amateur athletic championship meeting. The council was in the position of having notified the affiliated national associations weeks before hand of the date fixed for the closing of entries, and it was felt that so far as late entries were concerned the line should be drawn very definitely from the start. This the council did, but it was emphasised by the chairman (Mr. H. McCormick) that Boot's entry was not refused merely on the technical point that it was late. On that particular point, however, he contended that, the Canterbury centre was primarily to blame for not having accepted the advice prof erred by him that proper arrangements should be made .to ensure Boot being given a trial or trials and his performances being considered. That, he said, had not been done. This line of reasoning was mentioned by the writer last week; but now the difficulty that presented itself at the end of last week has been overcome it is perhaps the best policy to let bygones be bygones and look to the future.

A LESSON FOR FUTURE?

The commotion stirred up over Boot and Giles will not quickly be forgotten. It is, of course, a pity that it happened, but seeing that it did may it not point to a lesson which the national associations would be well advised to keep steadily in view when the time comes round for the selection of, say, the team to represent New Zealand at the British Empire Games in Sydney in 1938? After this experience there should be no excuse for any more.late nominations except under very special circumstances. In dealing with this point at the meeting this week Mr. McCormick said it seemed to him that national associations had not always taken proper' steps to sort out their Olympic material in the proper time. A lesson has been given this year, and it was almost

at the expense of two men being e» eluded from the team.

While admitting that decisions must be observed otherwise impossible positions would be created, it does seem that the New Zealand Olympic Council by its decision to select Boot and Giles and include them in the team of five • who had already been selected has now better fulfilled what after all one" judges to be one of its paramount functions, namely, the selection of the best possible men available to represent this country at the Olympic Games.