The press release says the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) was urged today to withdraw the U.S. Davis Cup team from competition with South Africa at the upcoming tournament to be held in Newport Beach, California April 15-17. The press release says "There is no place for racism in sport" George M. Houser, executive director of the American Committee on Africa (ACOA) wrote in a letter to USTA president W.E. Hester. The press release says the Committee, which has opposed South African apartheid and supported African independence for 23 years, endorsed the action of the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa; the council has threatened to boycott competition between teams from independent African...
The press release says the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) was urged today to withdraw the U.S. Davis Cup team from competition with South Africa at the upcoming tournament to be held in Newport Beach, California April 15-17. The press release says "There is no place for racism in sport" George M. Houser, executive director of the American Committee on Africa (ACOA) wrote in a letter to USTA president W.E. Hester. The press release says the Committee, which has opposed South African apartheid and supported African independence for 23 years, endorsed the action of the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa; the council has threatened to boycott competition between teams from independent African countries and countries, such as the United States, which continue to compete with South African teams. The press release says in recent years, responding to boycotts of its teams, the South African government has adopted a policy of "multinational" sports competition; the policy mirrors the white minority government's apartheid policies, falsely suggesting that the 80% black majority in South Africa belong to separate "nations". The press release says Mr. Houser termed this policy "a fraud", designed to make it appear that South Africa is allowing multi-racial competition to the outside world, while in fact, strict racial segregation is maintained in sports competition within South Africa; sports competition within South Africa remains under the control of all-white sporting federations, while non-racial sports associations are not legally recognized; sports facilities and government subsidies are grossly disproportionate in favor of whites. The press release says ACOA urged the U.S. Tennis Association to support the previous policy banning South Africa from Davis Cup play, which was reversed without explanation in 1973. The press release says "South Africa continues to violate basic tenets of international competition: that athletes meet in open competition at all levels of play and be chosen on the basis of merit, not color", Mr. Houser said; he noted for this reason South Africa has been barred from Olympic competition since 1968, and recently was expelled from international competition by the world swimming, soccer and track and field associations; these last actions followed extensive hearings by the world sports associations in conjunction with the Olympic games held in Montreal in July of last year; Mr. Houser urged the U.S. team not to compete with South Africa "until such time as South Africa joins the worldwide community of nations by adopting without reservation the rules of open competition and selection by merit."
