AFTER STANDEN'S SCALP

NZ Truth, Issue 1209, 31 January 1929, Page 12

AFTER STANDEN'S SCALP

Olympic Federation Disqualifies Crack Cyclist Fpr Two Years

Even shed of all its trimmings, the change-over of Jaclv Standen from the amateur to professional cycling ranks has caused a bigger upheaval than followers of the sport imagined.

THE lily whites are after Jack, and they' reckon to cruel him through the bond he made out to the Olympic Federation of Australia. The joke of the whole situation is the position of sculler Bobbie Pearce. He has been threatening to join the bawbee chasers for, weeks, but has awaited Jack's move. Now that Standen is m trouble, Bob has decided to sit tight and watbh developments. After a long mental struggle over his. decision, Jack turned over on the night of January 5. , Billed m the afternoon papers as having changed over- that morning, Jack actually did not step out on the Velodrome at Sydney until after nine o'clock. He held up one of the preliminary heats while he gave the matter thought and finally . made his debut against some of the crack trackmen of N.S.W. He rode beautifully, but Jack Fitzgerald put it. over Standen on tactics, and the ex-Olympic rider failed to qualify for the final.

Then the Olympic Federation got to work and asked the Australian Cycling Association to deal with Standen. A meeting was hsld, and it was agreed to recommend that Standen be asked to liquidate his bond of .£360. Failing that, it was suggested that he be suspended for the balance of the original bonded term — about months. While awaiting the inter- State verdicts, the Olympic Federation _ cabled the Supreme Olympic body m Paris and asked their endorsement of any action taken. That body, on hearing of Standen's attitude, promptly applied the closure to his amateur status and disqualified the Olympic representative for two years. This disqualification is supposed to hold good m both amateur and professional cycling bodies. But this does hot appear to be correct, as Standen rode at the Sydney Velodrome on Saturday night, m spite of the Cycling Federation.