UNITED NATIONS UNITED NATIONS CENTRE AGAINST APARTHEID l t C4- 9Cr 7/88 April 1988 REGISTER OF SPORTS CONTACTS WITH SOUTH AFRICA 1 JANUARY 1987 - 31 DECEMBER 1987 AND CONSOLIDATED LIST OF SPORTSMEN AND SPORTSWOMEN WHO HAVE PARTICIPATED IN SPORTS EVENTS IN SOUTH AFRICA 1 SEPTEMBER 1980 - 31 DECEMBER 1987 [Note: The names of persons in this list are arranged by nationality as reported in the press. The names of participants from schools and junior competitors are not included in the list. It should be noted, however, that the Governments of many countries in the list have opposed or discouraged sports exchanges with South Africa. Some of the sportspersons may be living outside their countries.] United Nations, New York 10017 INTRODUCTION The international campaign against apartheid sport continued to make progress during 1987. In response, South Africa has embarked on a massive exercise to lure well-known athletes from overseas to compete there by offering them substantial sums of money. Although many countries tightened their regulations in regard to these exchanges in 1987, South Africa continued its efforts to mitigate the effects of the boycott. It is estimated that South Africa spends approximately $US 100 million annually to promote international sports exchanges and subsidize sports organizations which endorse government policies. Commercial'houses which sponsor any event involving overseas participants are refunded 90 per cent of their gross outlay through tax rebates. Thus, South Africa devotes large sums of money to attract overseas players. With the exception of some top golfers and tennis players and a few others, the calibre of players participating in South Africa has been mediocre. In professional boxing, for instance according to a South African newspaper, its "top boxers are fighting imported has-beens and the situation is set to deteriorate as international political pressure mounts".!:/ Nevertheless South Africa managed to attract a fair number of rather second rate sportsmen and women. The electronics firm National Panasonic helped bring an Australian rebel cricket team while the First National Bank of South Africa funded the visit of a South Pacific rebel rugby tour and thereafter pledged R40 million for a soccer stadium.2/ With access to such significant funds, South African organizations formed teams of those individuals who accepted their invitation. These teams were then pitted against South African nationals giving white South Africans the illusion that they enjoyed some international respectability. Although South Africa spares no efforts in misleading the world that sport is now fully integrated by creating a veneer over its apartheid sports policy, incidents of racism are in that country quite prevalent. In February 1988, a black student, Nkululeko Skweyiya, studying at the white private Kearsney College high school near Durban under government dispensation, was barred from a national schools' athletics meeting held at the Menlo Park high school in the Transvaal because he is black. The Department of Education and Culture said that while its policy provided for the participation of athletes from "other population groups" in such sports meetings, it was the privilege of any high school's management council to bar participation on the basis of race.!/ The all-white Middelburg Wanderers Cricket Club, Transvaal, has been told by its town council not to entertain teams containing blacks at its grounds. According to the Middelburg town clerk, Mr. Peter Colin, it was council policy not to allow mixed club sports on municipal grounds. However, it is allowed at the national and international levels./ A "Coloured" person from Benoni, Transvaal, was refused access to the Ellis Park swimming pool, Johannesburg, because the pool was for "whites only". The general manager of Johannesburg's Parks and Recreation Department, Mr. J. P. Loubser, said the pool was open to other racial groups only for events such as galas, but not for public swimming.5/ The Eastern Province Volleyball Association was given permission to hold a mixed race tournament on King's beach, Port Elizabeth, but was told that the black participants could not swim at the whites-only beach. Earlier, teams from the South African Police and the Defence Force withdrew because "they felt it would not really be fitting for them - as law enforcement officials - to participate in the (mixed) event".6_/ In June 1987 four Indian golfers were refused membership in the all-white Pretoria Golf Club.Z/ The only mixed-race school's rugby team from Pietersburg, Transvaal, does not have anybody to play against. Mr. Ian Whiteley, the team's trainer, said: "When I made it known in the local press that we wanted to play other schools, I was told that I was trying to upset the applecart and that sport was an Own Affairs issue. The government (white) schools in the Northern Transvaal will not play against us and we cannot afford to travel to the private schools in Pretoria and Johannesburg."8/ Although South Africa's draconian measures make it very difficult for any significant protest to be made against the Government's sports policy, black students at the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, staged a protest during a training session of the visiting rebel South Pacific rugby team. Midway through the team's training session about 150 students converged onto the field and the practice was immediately terminated.9/ During a tennis match in Durban between Australian Pat Cash and Henri Leconte of France, students chanted protest slogans. The students carried placards which said, "Cash, you have sold your soul for cash" and "Leconte, you are a racist".L/ International action against South Africa in the field of sports was greatly intensified during 1987. Action by Governments, sports organizations, local authorities, anti-apartheid groups and individuals has helped to abort many sports exchanges with South Africa. The uncompromising position of the sports authorities of Bermuda and Sweden has led many sportsmen and women to pledge that they would not compete in South Africa until apartheid has been eradicated. The world famous Pakistani cricketer, Imran Khan, declared that the international sports boycott was one way of showing "solidarity towards the blacks and a protest against the arrogance of the South African regime." He continued: "I was offered quite a lot of money to play there but I could not see how anyone could have accepted it. It just hits at one's dignity to go to a place where one is considered an inferior person".2_!/ In March 1987, the Bermuda Sports Ministry banned Sir Stanley Matthews, a former English international football player, from participating in a football festival in Hamilton. The organizers then moved the tournament to Hong Kong. After the African Football Confederation intervened, the Hong Kong Football Confederation also banned Sir Stanley Matthews from participating in the festival there.2_! Spain instructed its tennis players to withdraw from a so-called "international" match in South Africa, after they realized that the players were "tricked" into travelling to Johannesburg.13/ The world women's squash champion, Susan Devoy of New Zealand, refused an appearance fee of $US10,000 to take part in the South African Open.l/ Ten New Zealand surf lifesavers who defied their national association and competed in South Africa have been banned from the lifesaving movement. The New Zealand Surf Lifesaving Association Council decided that the rebels who resigned before going to South Africa, in an attempt to avoid disciplinary action, would be refused readmission to their clubs.l_5 Timely interventions by the Governments of Australia and New Zealand aborted plans by South Africa to lure their respective national rugby teams to South Africa. Later, the South African Rugby Board tried recruiting individual Australian rugby players to South Africa where they would be formed into a team. Strong warnings by the Australian Government and its national rugby union also prevented this plan.l_/ In June 1987, the Bristol City Council in the United Kingdom withdrew its support from the Bristol Trophy men's tennis tournament because of the participation of South African tennis players.l/ India and Pakistan agreed to accept the English team with players who had previously played in South Africa on the understanding that the International Cricket Conference would stop in the future representative cricketers from playing in South Africa. The Bermuda Government authorized the entry into its country of the MCC cricket team from England after two of its players, who had participated in South Africa, pledged that they would not play there in the future. In November 1987, ten of the world's top speedway stars were banned from racing in South Africa. The International Motorcycling Federation refused to license anyone to race in South Africa.18/ The Women's International Professional Squash (Rackets) Association has decided that its players should be banned from competing in South Africa.19/ Professional boxing authorities have begun strengthening their action against South Africa. For example, the World Boxing Association suspended all the South Africans involved in its Executive.2-0/ The World Boxing Council, which is strongly anti-apartheid, removed Rickey Parker of the United States of America from its rankings because he fought in South Africa.2!/ In December 1987, the Argentine chess champion Miguel Quinteros was suspended from international participation because he competed in South Africa. The International Chess Federation suspended Quinteros for three years.2/ -4 Reneped The following players who had pledged not to compete in South Africa in the future but reneged on their commitment were: Gawain Briars, United Kingdom (squash) Andrew Chandler, United Kingdom (golf) Denis Durnian, United Kingdom (golf) David Feherty, United Kingdom (golf) Jamie Hickox, Canada (squash) Lisa Opie, United Kingdom (squash) Angela Smith, United Kingdom (squash) Paul Way, United Kingdom (golf) All of them competed in sports events in South Africa during 1987.