The American Committee on Africa (ACOA) has appealed to five American athletes to reconsider their participation in the South African Games in Pretoria given that this event will comply with South African laws that separate South African athletes according to race. The athletes are Tom Jennings (Pacific Coast Club, Long Beach, California coordinating efforts to assemble a group of track and field athletes to go to South Africa), Stan Wright (head of American Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) track and field, Sacramento State College), Ollen Cassall (track and field man at AAU headquarters), and Mr. Frank Baer (in charge of gymnasts). ACOA also has communicated with these track and field athletes...
The American Committee on Africa (ACOA) has appealed to five American athletes to reconsider their participation in the South African Games in Pretoria given that this event will comply with South African laws that separate South African athletes according to race. The athletes are Tom Jennings (Pacific Coast Club, Long Beach, California coordinating efforts to assemble a group of track and field athletes to go to South Africa), Stan Wright (head of American Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) track and field, Sacramento State College), Ollen Cassall (track and field man at AAU headquarters), and Mr. Frank Baer (in charge of gymnasts). ACOA also has communicated with these track and field athletes who have applied for AAU travel permits: Steve Smith, Al Feuerbach, Dwight Stones, Jim Boulding, and John Powell. The press release includes the statement American Athletes Urged to Boycott South African Open Games March 23 -April 7 and the text of the letters to the athletes. ACOA supports the Supreme Council for National Sport, ICARIS (International Campaign Against Racism in Sport), and SANROC (South African Non-Racial Olympic Committee) which is working within South Africa to erase the color bar in sport.
