UNITED NATIONS UNITED NATIONS CENTRE AGAINST APARTHEID NOTES AND DOCUMENTS* MAY -61985 4- OF SPORTS CONTACTS 1 January - 30 June December 1984 I WITH SOUTH AFRICA 1984 /Note: Pursuant to a decision in 1980, the Special Committee against Apartheid has been publishlng semiannual registers of sports contacts with South Africa. The present register, as the previous ones, contains: (a) A list of sports exchanges with South Africa arranged by the code of sports; and (b) A list of sportsmen and sportswomen who participated in sport events in South Africa, arranged by country. Names of persons who undertake not to engg in further sports events in South Africa will be deleted from the register./ 84-34266 20/84 REGISTER *All material in these Notes and Documents may be freely reprinted. Acknowledgement, together with a copy of the publication containing the reprint, would be appreciated. United Nations, New York 10017 I CONTENTS Introduction 2 Rugby 2 South African propaganda against the sports boycott 3 Sponsorship of apartheid sport 4 Passports of convenience 5 Internal developments in South Africa 6 Olympic Games 7 Efforts of the international community in the boycott of apartheid sport 8 Deletions from the Register 10 Notes 11 ANNEXES I LIST OF SPORTS EXCHANGES WITH SOUTH AFRICA 12 II REGISTER OF SPORTSMEN AND WOMEN WHO PARTICIPATED IN SPORTS EVENTS IN SOUTH AFRICA 34 Introduction The South African r4gime and its racist sports bodies, despite their intensified efforts to break their international isolation, have so far failed to achieve any meaningful success. Although South Africa has lured a few sportsmen, women, and national teams with some international standing through the payment of inflated appearance fees and exceptional hospitality, South Africa continues to have limited access to international sports exchanges. International action against apartheid sport has intensified over the period under review. Furthermore, no international sports body which excluded or suspended South Africa from membership has reversed its decision despite the r4gime's heavily financed propaganda efforts. However, the r4gime has continued with its generous funding of apartheid sports, inter alia, through a series of tax concessions to private sector sponsors, that is South African and/or transnational companies. Rugby The International Rugby Board (IRB) is one of the few international sports federations which continues to accommodate apartheid sports and sanction international competitions with teams from South Africa without any reservation.l/ Australian Rugby Union is the only member of the International Rugby Board which refuses to entertain sports exchanges with South Africa. In January 1984, a South African schoolboy's team toured Wales, United Kingdom, with the full approval of the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU). In protest, the United Kingdom's Minister in Charge of the Welsh Office, Mr. Nicholas Edwards, and the Minister in charge of sports in Wales, Mr. John Stradling Thomas, as well as opposition Labour Party parliamentarians boycotted Welsh rugby matches. Mr. Neil Kinnock, the leader of the Labour Party and a rugby enthusiast, stated that "the only way we are going to get fairness in rugby football in South Africa is by denying them access". He said that he was boycotting the matches "with real regret" but that the need for human justice took precedence over his love for rugby. 2/ The most serious violation of the United Nations resolutions against apartheid sport was committed by the English Rugby Football Union (ERFU) when it decided, by 44 votes to six, to send its national team to South Africa. There was widespread opposition to the tour. The United Kingdom's Minister of Sport, Mr. Neil McFarlane, had several meetings with the English Rugby Football Union trying to dissuade them from visiting South Africa. The Special Committee against Apartheid urged the rugby authorities to decline the invitation as well. Appeals were also made by the Organization of African Unity (OAU); the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa (SCSA); the Commonwealth Secretary- General; the leader of the British Labour Party; the British Trades Union Congress (BTUC); the president of the British Anti-Apartheid Movement, Archbishop Trevor Huddleston; various anti-apartheid groups in South Africa; and several international and national organizations and individuals. Despite all appeals the ERFU team, although badly depleted in strength by withdrawals, including that of the team captain Peter Wheeler, toured South Africa in May and June 1984. The Commonwealth Games Council for England also failed in its constitutional obligation under the Code of Conduct of the Commonwealth Games Federation by not taking effective measures in trying to prevent the tour of South Africa by the English Rugby Football Union. The statements of the Chairman of the Council, in fact, led the authorities of the English Rugby Football Union to believe that the Council did not object to their tour of South Africa. Other Commonwealth Games councils are reported to be closely following the actions of the British Council as regards British sports contacts with South Africa, with a view to considering appropriate action. In June 1984 the Welsh Rugby Union voted by 306 votes to 62 to continue its links with South Africa despite numerous protests and appeals, including one from the Chairman of the Special Committee against Apartheid, to cease contacts with apartheid sports. Mr. Myrddin John, secretary of the Welsh Commonwealth Games Council, wrote to the Welsh Rugby Union expressing his Council's disappointment and saying that it "was a most unfortunate decision." 3/ In the same month, the French Rugby Federation, which cancelled its 1983 tour to South Africa on the insistence of the French Government, announced that it would tour South Africa in the near future. The New Zealand Rugby Football Union (NZRF) has not announced yet its decision regarding a proposed visit to South Africa in 1985.4/ South African propaganda against sports boycott The South African r4gime has further expanded its propaganda efforts to undermine the boycott of apartheid sport. Racist sports bodies in South Africa continue to enjoy a fair amount of support among British sports administrators. Their administrators make frequent visits to London to publicize apartheid sport. They hold regular press conferences in London and seem to get "invited" to press luncheons and other events which they use as a platform to justify their case. They are initiating new projects in London, hoping to inflict serious damage to the apartheid sports boycott campaign. Apartheid sports authorities decided to open a permanent office in London and appointed a former cricketer, Eddie Barlow, as its director. He will act as "spokesman, negotiator and organizer" for South African sport. Barlow stated that his "primary long-term aim would be to see South Africa accepted into the sporting world". 5/ In other words, the purpose of this office is to encourage violations of the Gleneagles Agreement to which the Government of the United Kingdom is a party. As of the publication of this register, he was waiting for the issuance of a work permit from the Government of the United Kingdom in order to open the office. In February 1984, the white South African Olympic Committee (SAOC) urged the British Minister for Sport to visit South Africa, hoping that he would influence other Commonwealth countries to annul the Gleneagles Agreement. In March 1984, just before the decision by the English Rugby Football Union to tour South Africa, the South African Minister of Sport paid a special visit to London and told the press that the rugby tour would assist multiracial sport. He did not mention that his party was committed to racial segregation in sport. 6/ Furthermore, South Africans regularly call upon the services of a British Member of Parliament, Mr. John Carlisle, to defend them in the United Kingdom. He regularly visits South Africa. In February 1984, Mr. Carlisle succeeded in getting more than 100 Conservative Party Members of Parliament to sign a motion demanding that the English rugby chiefs be left free from pressures to decide whether to go ahead with the tour to South Africa. 7/ Sponsorship of apartheid sport Recent reports indicate that the r4gime provided large-scale financial assistance, through a series of tax concessions, to sponsors of sports events in order to enable them to lure sports persons from abroad. Many of the multi-million rand sports events, such as boxing, golf, football and tennis, cost the sponsors less than eight per cent of the total outlay, since they receive as much as 92.4 per cent in tax rebates. In most cases, the sponsors could also claim a further seven per cent as general sales tax, thus reducing their total outlay to a mere 0.6 per cent. Opposition by other businesses has forced the r4gime to withdraw reluctantly half of the 92.4 per cent tax concession. The r~gime, however, still provides over 53 per cent of the sports sponsorship revenue. The South African Minister of Sport said: "In accepting the definitions that still allow sponsors the 46.2 per cent rebate and the seven per cent general sales tax, the Government has shown that it clearly supports sport in this country." 8/ Since sponsors are reported to provide South African sport with about R 100 million annually, it appears that over R 53 million is coming out of government funds. 9/ The r4gime also provides other direct subsidies for travel and other expenses of visiting teams. White South African sports personalities are now complaining that overseas stars are being excessively pampered in South Africa. "We are not asking for anything special," said one player. "We just want a fair deal. In other countries the home players are looked after, here it is the visitors who are given everything." One player revealed that in 1983, when a South African team played Billie-Jean King and Susan Mascarin of the United States in a "Test", the Americans were paid a fortune compared to the local players.