Czech Tennis Champs Choose Exile In U.S.

Northern Advocate, 16 July 1949, Page 5

Czech Tennis Champs Choose Exile In U.S.

BERNE, Fri. (2 p.m.)—Two officers of the Swiss security police said today that they had been, instructed to "protect the Czech Davis Cup players Drobny and Cernilc against any attempt by the Czech Legation Or anyone else to interfere with them.” n

M. Drobny and M. Cernik earlier announced that they were going into exile and hoped to reach the United States.

The Czech press attache to the Czech Legation was prevented by the hotel staff from forcing his way to rooms ol , oy Droony and Cernik. The staff told the attache that Drobny and Cernik had said they wamea no further contact with the Czech Legation, either directly or by telephone. Swiss tennis tournament officials reported that the Czech attache then drove to the tennis courts and tore from the notice board Drobny and Cernik's joint statement saying: "We have nothing to do with politics. We are sportsmen, wholly interested in tennis, and therefore we will follow our sports inclination, especially as we have decided to go to the Unit.ed States.” Official Prague radio tonight accused Drobny and Cernik of “treachery” in going into exile.

The radio broadcast a statement from the national Sokol sports organisation sharply criticising Drobny and Cernik, claiming thatt they had gone over “to the pay of capitalist entrepreneurs.”