WOMEN IN ATHLETICS

Evening Star, Issue 22276, 29 February 1936, Page 9

WOMEN IN ATHLETICS

MORE COMPETITION SOUGH! AUCKLAND PRSPOSAL REJECTED A proposal submitted by the Auckland Centre that the'New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association should greatly increase the number of events tor women on the New, Zealand championship programme was rejected by the annual conference of delegates last night on the grounds that the sport was not sufficiently stabilised, and also, that it would be very difficult to fit the additional events into the programme. The remit, submitted by Mr It.Cameron (Auckland), was—‘(That provision be made for the inclusion on the programme of the New Zealand National Championships of the following events for ladies: —so yards, 100 yards, 80 yards hurdles, running high jump, running broad jump, javelin,discus, shot, and relay (4 x 110 yards), and that with respect to the javelin, discus, and shot steps be taken to ensure that implements of the correct weight and dimension are made available right throughout the Dominion Mr Cameron referred to the fact that. the control ot women’s athletics in New, Zealand was sought and obtained by the Council of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association by affiliation to the International Amateur Athletic Federation, through the Federatione Sportive Feminine Internationale about 1923. The position, after that lapse of time, was that there were two events only—loo yards and a 440 yards relay on the New Zealand championship programme. So that, strictly speaking, the result of 13 years of council endeavour and encouragement of this branch of athletics was contained in one solitary individual event. The position in Auckland was reviewed, and it was mentioned that there were two bodies—the Girls’ Athletic Association and the Business-house Girls’ Athletio Association —which were staging carnivals of athletics for girls, the tot|u number ol competitors being about SUU. These two organisations were now merged in one, the Auckland Gills ■ Athletic Association, the season lor these girls being from August to Sep; tember of each year. The Kiwi Ladies Amateur Athletic Club had come into being, and had given an impetus to this branch of the sport in Auckland, lha centre last season provided six events for the girls, and it was the experience of the Auckland Centro that the girls were a decided asset to the provincial championships from every 7 point ot view. The increasing number of competitors this season made it necessary, to run separate scratch race meetings for girls, and also to appoint a special ladies’ sub-committee to control the meetings, of which four were scheduled for the season. When selecting the team to represent Auckland at Dunedin this year the committee was faced with the extraordinary position ot being compelled to exclude a girl who was probably the most bnllianu allround athlete of her sex in the Dominion, because there was no event on the New Zealand championships programme in which she could be sent to C °The t ?emit to provide for the inclusion of a further nine events in the New Zealand championship programme emanated from lady athletes ul Auckland. and he said the Auckland Gentle was strongly behind the proposal. The New Zealand Council named 11 eients for which it would recognise New Zealand records, and had given official recognition to'six such events, it enforced the rule regarding - affiliation fees under which clubs whose members were all girls had to pay such fees, enforced girls to pay registration fees, of which two-thirds was in a fund to assist men athletes, but in all the years since the council assumed control, only one individual event was included on tho New Zealand cnamPi M?'P 1! P lS.7(»^l«4> the remit. . , , x, . Mr N. M'Kenzie (Hawke s Bay - Poverty Bay) said that he thought the time would come when a women s association would control women s athletics. Until that happened, he did not think the sport could be popularised because the majority of centres catered only for sprinters He did not think the events proposed by Auckland should be foisted on to the championship programme, and he was against the remit. Mr A. C. Kitto (Wellington) said that women’s athletics was hardly, stable enough for the adoption of such a remit. He had always had the idea that the women should form an association of their own and run their own championships. He did not think would be possible to add all these events to the present New Zealand, championship programme. Mr T M. Brvdone (Otago) said that he did not think it would be possible to fit the field events into a championship programme. It .might y*? better to include them at provincial championships first, with a view to securing competitors. % ■ Mr R. Beattie said that women a athletics had made no headway in Canterbury in the last 10 years., Tho remit was defeated.