1.
SV International Olympic Committee President, Lord Killanin speaking in English
1.15

2.
GV Newsmen listing
1.20

3.
CU New Zealand member of IOC Executive Board, Lance Cross speaking to reporter in English (2 SHOTS)
2.29


LORD KILLANIN: "The I.O.C. urged the organising committee in Moscow to inform the highest authorities of the USSR government of the circumstances which have created these difficulties. It must be stressed that the Olympic games are a series of contest among individuals, and not countries, and that the participation of an athlete in the games in no way confers support of a political ideology, nor for the actions of the country in which a city a staging them. The Olympic games are the property of the IOC and not of the host country. They are awarded to a city purely on consideration of organisation capabilities, and never on political grounds. Since Lake Placid every effort has, and is being made, to assist those NOC's (National Olympic Committees) which desire to take part in the games and are encountering obstacles due to varying pressures. The IOC will consider sympathetically all requests from those NOC's which will help athletes to participate in the Game e.g. flags, anthems finance, transportation, etc."



YOUNG: "Already in Canada there have been specific athletes who have said they will still go to Moscow, to the Olympic games, regardless of the government decision. If the Canadian association does back the government is it possible for any of them to come at all?"



CROSS: "Not at the present moment, not at the present moment. It was decided by both the Federations and the IOC that the rules state that only NOC's can nominate athletes and it is not intended, at the moment anyway, to take any powers beyond that."



GEORGE YOUNG: "Are the Olympics in trouble?"



CROSS: "Yes, I think as the President says here in our statement that we think that all international sport, apart from the Olympics, is in grave danger at the present moment, and a very very serious look has got to be taken at the situations which are causing problems to international sports, and a firm grip has got to be taken on control to ensure that they don't die. I think it's a grave situation."





Initials AM/



REPORTER: GEORGE YOUNG

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: The President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Lord Killanin has offered to mediate between Moscow and Washington to prevent a boycott of the 1980 games. He said on Wednesday (23 APRIL) he would stress the purpose of the games and the Olympic principles, and that participation did not confer support for any political point of view. Lord Killanin was speaking after a meeting of the IOC Executive Board in Lausanne, Switzerland.

SYNOPSIS: New Zealand member of the IOC Executive Board, Lance Cross, talked to CBC correspondent George Young.