AMATEURS CYCLING.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19141, 26 October 1927, Page 11

AMATEURS CYCLING.

TO THE EDITOR OF THX PRESS. Sir,—l wish to draw the attention of the public to the manner in which the North Canterbury Professional Cycling and Athletic Centi is acting with regard to amateur cycling. The control of amateur cycling was taken over by the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association about four-years ago. Since that timo the Canterbury- Centre N.Z.A.A.A. have, been succcssfuly controlling'the sport, but-have been subjected to' a good, deal of annoyance by the action of the professional centre, who insist on having "amateurs" of their own. First they organised an "Amateur" Cycling Club affiliated to their centre. The saner element in the club realised that they were in the wrong, and formed a club known as the Shirley Club affiliated to the Amateur Centre: - Since the "'professional body, have obtained a lease of; the English Park Stadium, they have included in their programme" races for these so-call-.cd "amateurs." The Dominion Championships under the auspices of the both .in cycling running, are to be held in- Christchurch early in December, and the Canterbury Centre had obtained at', the. maximum figure the use of the Stadium, on the evening of December 11th for "the cycling events. Now the. professional authorities will not allow the amateurs, who- will compete in these ovents, to train on the track before the championships. This is a dog in the manger attitude, and shows clearly how unreasonable and impossible the members of the Professional Centre are. The International Amateur federation controls amateur sport, and it is. to that body that the N.Z.A.A.A. is affiliated, consequently those cyclists who ride under the auspices of tho Professional Centre have no status, and not being true amateurs cannot ride in. Olympic Games, which after all, is the sure test. The professional riders have already dissociated themselves from the action of their controlling body, and realise that the amateurs have every right to control their own sport. The amateur movement will go on despite rebuffs of this nature, but it is up to all the right thinking men connected with the Pro-, fessional side of Cycling and Athletics, to set their house in order. —Yours, etc., LILY-WHITE.