OLYMPIC GAMES

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 153, 2 December 1938, Page 5

OLYMPIC GAMES

NEW ZEALAND'S TEAM

EARLY DEPARTURE POSSIBLE

VIEWS TO BE SOUGHT

Preliminary consideration was given by the council of the New Zealand Olympic and British , Empire Games Association last night to the size and possible early departure of the New Zealand team for the 1940 Olympic Games, which are to be held in Finland. It was decided to seek the views of, the affiliated national associations on the matter before determining the policy to be followed. The subject was introduced by the chairman, Mr. H. McCormick, who said that the sending of a team to Finland would be fairly expensive. It seemed to him that the team would be a very small one. In the past a good deal of difficulty had been experienced in knowing just when to send a team away so as to give them the best chance of reproducing their best. He had discussed the matter with Dr. Lovelock when he visited New Zealand, and they had been unable to come to any real conclusion, except that there were only two ways it could be done ideally. One was to get into peak form and then with a quick, short trip go to the place of competition and compete straight away. Lovelock adopted that practice when he had an engagement in Europe, but it was impracticable, of course,) for athletes to do that from this country. The second method—and this was the ideal—was to land the country's representatives some months before in or near the centre of competition and give them a proper opportunity to become acclimatised. BETWEEN THE TWO IDEALS. "Between these two ideals," continued Mr. McCormick, "we seem always to have fallen, and we have never really got the best out of our men for that reason. We are faced, of course, with the difficulty of long journeys." What he had in mind was that if they had perhaps just two or three men they considered were in top world class they might perhaps be sent to England for three or four months before the Games opened. It was disappointing when men who were recognised as being good were sent away and they were unable to produce their best. When V. P. Boot and C. H. Matthews were sent to Berlin in 1936 it was realised that they were pretty good men, and they had demonstrated this at the Empire Games in Sydney this year, but at Berlin they had not shown their true form. They were in England about four weeks before the Games opened. At the present time, continued Mr. McCormick, Boot and Matthews were the only men in his opinion worth sending to Finland, although later others might bob up. If they were the only two the council felt were worth sending, he thought it would be advisable to consider very seriously the question of sending them perhaps three or four months beforehand and so give them a real chance to become acclimatised and "produce their best form. The Australian Olympic authorities were already.on the job, and were s in the position now practically of being , able to decide on the number of repre- . sentatives to be sent to Finland. If the '- council's decision was to send the team ' early, they would have to be selected substantially on. this, season's form. ' Mr. F. M. Reid (N.Z.A.A.A.) said he agreed with Mr. McCormick that early ] action was advisable. ' Mr. J. D. Willis (Wrestling Union) said he thought that they should first '' decide on the possible size of the team. ' He had very decided views against J sending women- swimmers and run- ] ners to the Games who had no prospect 1 of success whatever. It was time the council called a halt. At the present ' time he thought it was perfectly ob- < vious that Boot and Matthews were ' the only two with a chance of success. 1 In reply to an inquiry, it was stated ] that the cost involved if the team was 1 sent early would be at least £300 per J man. SELECTION OF TEAM. i Mr. A: C. Kitto (New Zealand Rugby i Union) said that while he agreed that it was advisable to bring the matter under the notice of the national associations early, he thought they should be rather careful not to start selecting ' men at this stage. 1 Mr. McCormick said he was not 1 suggesting that that should be done. J Between now and the end of next "< year, said Mr. Kitto, some new star i might appear on the horizon, and for thatreason he thought it would be un- i wise to select men too early. He quite t agreed that the men sent should be those in the top class with a real chance of success at the Games. The t question of the time they should have 1 to become acclimatised was a big one. I Personally, he thought the New Zea- g land representatives who were sent to c Sydney for the British Empire Games arrived just a little too soon. s Replying to a question, Mr. McCor- t mick said that if it was decided to give a New Zealand's representatives three months to become acclimatised, they would have to leave New Zealand about the end of February or the beginning, of March in 1940. The Games were to be held at the end of July, 1940. * Mr. Willis suggested that everything c would have to be well in train by June fi of next year. t( Mr. McCormick moved that the national associations be advised of the a suggestion to send a small team to a Finland consisting of only those considered to be really in the top world 1 class and that the team should arrive d in England some three or four months c before the Games open, and that the a national associations be asked to con- c sider the position and submit their views to the council within three ii months so that at another meeting the Ti council might fully consider the whole question and come to a decision on the n policy to be followed. 'That, of | course," added Mr. McCormick, "does not mean the selecting of the team. I i don't suggest that ye should select the c team at that time, but that we should fc make a decision as to the policy we 1. will follow." Mr. J. W. Steele (Wrestling Union) 0 seconded the motion, which was adopted unanimously. g