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Hokitika Guardian, 19 September 1932, Page 5

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N.Z. OLYMPIC TEAM COMMENT BY THE MANAGER. (Per Press Association — Copyright .) WELLINGTON, September 18. Still under the spell of th e Olympic Games at Los Angeles, . which turned out to ,be the greatest Games ever held, New Zealand’s representative athletes, boxers and oarsmen, two dozen strong, returned -to Wellington by the Mono-

Th e team came back with a record which was quite, creditable, although no.t distinguished. It appeared. from the remarks of the manager, Mr P. N. Bundle, and others, that Hie members of the team had been at their best a week or ten days before the Games began. The change of climat 6 with nothing '.But “sunshine, sunshine, sunshine,” had resulted in lowering the team’s efficiency by the time the opening day was reached. “When I got to Los Angeles,” 6 aid Mr Bundle “I met the British Consul and 'he said: ‘'You’ve come too goon. This climate will get’ your Boys, You’ll feel fine for • about three .weeks.!!. That proved to be the ease.” • ‘ VMy /suggestion ifor the future,” said 'Mr Bundle, “is that a proper system of coaching for athletes should be developed in New Zealand. There is no doubt our athletes are in the world class, or at least the material is there, but it must be developed. I asked Lovelock how he had improved so rapidly, and so much. He said it waa the fact that he was receiving a' lot of high claas competition. I am convinced that if our beat men wer e receiving more high class competition, they would improve considerably. Our rowers are undoubtedly in the world class. It is undesirable to send away a team picked out from different parts of New Zealand. A club crew or an inter-provincial crew would be better.”

“Right through the games,” said Mr Bundle, “stress had been laid on the principle that in all sports .contests, it was the struggl e which mattered, and not the result. For that reason the Games must have fulfil’ led their purpose. . “Of oouns e to Britishers,” he said, “it comes naturally,, hut there are other nations that have got to learn. Some of i them are just entering world sport. Their idea to .to win. There were several incidents which ;■ i showed this. Tha ',spirit of sportemarr/iip is growing throughout the world.” .