SWIMMING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14985, 6 May 1912, Page 4

SWIMMING.

: A ] ■ " ■. ■ J CHAMPION'S TRIP TO STOCKHOLM. • ' — ( ' ■' 1 OLYMPIC COUNCIL'S POSITION. j ' "• " ' \ : ' ■' ' J STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN. • ' [BT TELHQBAPH.—rBBS3 ASSOCIATION.] ] • ' i ' ... Chmstchuech, Saturday. , An adjourned meeting of the Council of the New Zealand Swimming Association was held to-day to meet Mr. A. t Marryat, chairman of the Olympic Council for New Zealand, in connection with the deadlock ; existing in regard to the nomination 01 , M. E. Champion as New Zealand a swim- . ming competitor at the Olympic Games at Stockholm. Mr. George Harris .pre- ; *Mr. Marryat said that the Olympic Council had not received Champion s nomination till April 15, and by that time all efforts to secure funds had been 'Closed, under the belief that only Hill and Wilding would be going to the games. lor this purpose the sum of £200 was required, although it was possible that Wilding would ' pay his own expenses from London to Stockholm. Wilding's expenses, if - they bad to be paid by the Council, would be £35. This left £165 to pay the expenses of Hill. The Olympic > Council had known nothing of Champion's intention to, go to London until he arrived in Wellington, and at that time all avenues of subscriptions had been exhausted. He was now in the same position as Hill, for whom £160 had been subscribed. , Deducting the amount paid for Champion s boat tare (£6O), the sum of £100 was still required, and the Olympic Council must have a guarantee for that amount. He did not think that the amount of £50 at one time promised by Auckland would be forthcoming. Already the Council had' experienced difficulty in getting the £75 subscribed in Auckland for Hill, and then only by passing a motion to ■ the effect that Hill would not be nominated -if' the money were not forthcoming. The Council therefore tlicl not rely on vague promises by Auckland, especially as Champion himself did not rely on them. The Olympic Council Id accept Mr. Harris's guarantee of £50, contingent on Auckland first subscribing_ £60, but it did not desire to deal anybody other than the New Zealand Swimming Association. The , Council was not hostile to Champion's nomination, but if he were nominated the Olympic Council would be responsible for all his expenses. / , Mr. R. Bassett asked why Champion s expenses from London should be £100, as compared with Wilding's £35. _ omri . n Mr. Marryat replied that - Champion would require expenses . not incurred by Wilding. The Council did not expect men to go to London without anything in their pockets, and Champion would have to be maintained in England for several weeks. The sum of £100 would carry him through all the English championships. ..^ n . lii reply to other Questions Mr. Marryat said that the Council would not require ' cash before nominating Champion. An ® New Zealand Swimming Associations ■ guarantee would be sufficient. .. The meeting . then adjourned, after thanking Mr. Marryai for his attendance. Mr .Marryat's statement that the Olym- : pic Council "did not rely on vague promises by Auckland, especially as Champion himself did not rely on them, is not : borne out by facts. The Olympic Council seems to ignore the fact that the members i of the committee of the Waitemata Swimming Club, with the assistance of a donation of £5 from the Auckland Post and Telegraph ; Swimming Club, and a little over £20 raised by - means of a carnival, have provided just over £100 ,in cash. out " of this the cost of Champions passage to and from London was provided, and a sum handed over to Champion's family for their maintenance during his 1 absence, lhe ' Council also ignores ' the - fact _ that the Auckland estimate of the cost of the trip was based on the expenses allowed to Champion, when he went to the Festival of the Empire Sports last year, by the .New, ' Zealand Festival of Empire Sports Committee, which is now the, Olympic Council. 1 Extra- provision', of course, was mad© for ; the greater distance to be travelled.; and the longer stay in the Old World. _ Chami pion himself was quite satisfied with the estimate. But the Olympic Council has ' failed to show what the extra ; money is i needed for, except that it has vaguely referred to managerial expenses. • • As there is a difference of over £60 between the: New Zealand Olympic Council's figures and those of. the Waitemata Swimming : Club, it is hard to Bee why so much is needed . for the managerial expenses of one man.— ' LYNX.] ■ ' ■. ' • ,! •- • *'■ t ' 1 ' I