Borg Wanted

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6808, 11 January 1929, Page 4

Borg Wanted

AUSTRALIANS AWAITING REPLY—N.Z. FATED TO DULL SEASON

MEDIOCRE SWIMMING

This uncertain Borg business is worrying the Australian Swimmin" Union. The union is still ' in “,e dark as to whether Borg ■J. will really race in Australia this , season or not. ■*£ Australian swimming officials have had enough troubles this season. There were the arguments and public views concerning the Olympic tour, “Boy” Charlton’s retirement from big swimming/ and the unsuccessful negotiations for visits from Clarence Crabbe, George Koljac and Johnnie Weismuller. And now, the negotiations with Arne Borg, of Sweden, seem interminable. Borg and his wife are now at Singa-

pore. There is the important question of expenses for Mrs. Borg and finance seems to be the obstacle to completion of an agreement. Charlton was in a club race the other week, although he is still adhering to his an-

nouncement that he has retired. On the other hand, some Australian officials have been optimistic enough to believe that Charlton may return. They say that it is hard for an athlete, especially when he has no superior in his country, to drop suddenly from a sport. And Charlton has apparently not been hurrying to get back to his farm at Gunnedah.

Auckland negotiations for a visit from Charlton have evidently been fruitless. It is rather too near important championship events now to hope for a visit from an outside swimmer. And the talk about bringing the youthful George St. Heaps, of Sydney, across to New Zealand—well, it is still very much in the air. DULL N.Z. SEASON? It is most likely that New Zealand enthusiasts will have to bear with a dull season. Auckland certainly has not been treated to many thrills so far. Apart from the appearance of one or two promising swimmers, all the hard competition has been left to the “old faithfuls” of swimming. At the beginning of the season, there was every chance of a boom period, but disappointments have sapped away a good deal of interest. The carnivals held to date have drawn only the customary crowd of supporters and there has been nothing remarkable to arouse public attention to enthusiasm. People simply will not attend one carnival after another to watch the usual array of swimmers. That is why a visit from a real star is so urgent.- Something fresh is needed to break the drabness of straightforward club swimming. The same conditions apply in other centres in New Zealand. The Sun has already mentioned the indifference of many of the competitors and the carnival controls, which certainly have not been of the briskest. The centre is not to blame; the clubs are trying to do their best. The root of the trouble lies largely in the apathy of the general public to competitive club swimming. Then, defaulting entrants have robbed more than one carnival of a good deal of expected interest. • The Auckland Centre is faced with a knotty problem in making the sport count for much in public enthusiasm, and it knows it.. So far this season, the centre has stood by Its resolution that the delegates should “pull together.” There has been a genuine endeavour on the centre’s part to raise the standard of swimming,' but little success has come the centre’s way.