More than 1,500 sportsmen and women from 37 countries are competing in the South African Open International Games, which opened in Pretoria on Friday (23 March).

Nearly 600 competitors from overseas countries have entered the games, which provide South Africa's athletes with a substitute for the Olympic Games, from which the country has been banned on the last two occasions.

The overseas contingents, which include medal winners at last year's Munich Olympics and current and former would champions, come from a wide range of countries.

A policy of keeping the names of competitors and even countries secret has been rigidly enforced by the organisers, the South African Olympic Committee, in an attempt to prevent pressure from groups who claim that anyone taking part in the games will be "playing with apartheid".

The games are costing about one million rands (590,00 pounds sterling) to stage, and will end on 7 April.

All but one of the 27 sports represented has foreign competitors. Soccer is the only exception, and the Government has eased the rules on multi-racial sport in the country to allow whites, coloured, Indians and Africans to take part.

The opening ceremony, attended by the Minister of Sport, Dr. Piet Koornhof, featured a parade of teams from all the countries taking part.

SYNOPSIS: At Berea park, in Pretoria, teams line up for the opening of the South African Open International Games, which will run over two weeks and end on the seventh of April. The opening ceremony was attended by Doctor Piet Koornhof, the Minister of Sport.

The South African Olympic Committee adopted a policy of keeping the names of competitors and even countries secret to prevent pressure from opposition groups, but at least thirty-seven countries are represented at the games.

Altogether one-thousand-five-hundred sportsmen and women are competing.... nearly six-hundred of them from overseas countries. The games are designed to provide South Africa's athletes with a substitute for the Olympic Games, from which the country has been banned on the lat two occasions.

All but one of the twenty-seven sports represented has foreign competitors. Soccer is the only exception.....an attempt to get the approval of the World Football Federation (FIFA) for foreign participation failed.

The games are costing about one million rands to stage and have attracted medal winners at last year's Munich Olympics and current and former world champions from a wide range of countries.