N.Z. blocks China

Press, 11 April 1979, Page 1

N.Z. blocks China

NZPA London A New Zealand sports administrator, Mr Lance Cross, was yesterday named as the stumbling block to China’s taking part in next year’s Olympic Games at Moscow. China would miss the games by a few words, said John Rodda, writing in the “Guardian” — and the man responsible for the words was Mr Cross. Rodda wrote from the International Olympic Committee session at Montevideo that Peking required a resolution to show that its position was superior to that of Taipei. Lord Killanin, president of the 1.0. C., knew he would have to get his members to accept political expediency in this, Rodda wrote.

“But one man, Lance Cross, of New Zealand, who led the commission to China and on whose report the members relied, would not budge over the principle of equal status. “Thus the original resolution ‘to recognise the

Chinese Olympic Committee’ and ‘to maintain recognition of the committee located in Taipei’ became ‘to recognise the Chinese Olympic Committee located in Peking’ and ‘to maintain recognition of the Olympic committee located in Taipei’.” The slight alteration, at Mr Cross’s insistence, was not acceptable to the Chinese, Rodda said. “Lord Killanin hopes that the dialogue will be resumed soon, but it may not be before the session in Moscow that a decision can be taken by his members.” Thus China is now in the 1.0. C., but cannot compete at Moscow, unless the wording changes.