AMATEUR ATHLETICS

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 190, 8 May 1940, Page 14

AMATEUR ATHLETICS

Questions Considered By Dominion Council Conditions of residence in the Dominion that should be necessary before an athlete could qualify for a ‘-‘best New Zealand performance,” were discussed by the council of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association at a meeting in Wellington last night. The matter was deferred for further consideration later. The secretary, Mr. H. McCormick, in a memorandum submitted to the council, said that the rules provided that when New Zealand records were held by "competitors from overseas” the best performance of a New Zealander should also be shown. “It becomes necessary,” said Mr. McCormick, “to decide what persons are to be included respectively in the terms ‘competitors from 'overseas’ and ‘New Zealander.’ “I suggest that a New Zealander be defined as a person who has lived the greater part of his life in New Zealand up to the date of the performance, or is residing in New Zealand and has had his home in New Zealand for at least five years. All others arc ‘competitors from overseas’.” One member of the council said bethought that five years, as suggested by Mr. McCormick, was too long a period, and that two years would be ample. Another member said the period should be three years and the question should be decided on-whether tlie applicant’s athletic development had been made in New Zealand. Records Established. New records approved by the council were as follows: —It. C. Halliday, junior 220yds. hurdles, 27sec., and junior 120yds. hurdles, 15 4-ssec.; Miss M. Mitchell, women's javelin, 120 ft. <^in.; Miss B. Lipscombe, women's shot put, 32ft. 1 7-Bin.; D. Shaw, junior mile, 4min. 35 3-ssec.; R. C. Brown, junior mile walk, 7min. 14 l-ssec.; A. L. Fagg, pole vault, lift. Gin.; Wellington centre team, medley relay, 3min. 34sec. When the question of soldiers’ membership was discussed, the council ruled that only those who had enlisted for overseas service would be exempt from paying registration fees. This applied also to other members of the armed forces who bad enlisted for overseas service. Other questions considered by the council, and deferred for decision later, were whether the junior walking event should be limited to 880yds., instead of one mile, and whether the 220yds. events for women competitors should be eliminated and substituted by events over a lesser distance.