IRISH INVOLVEMENT
Even Ireland, a minnow in sporting terms, has not escaped entanglement in the apartheid issue. Rugby, Hockey and Cricket teams have successfully toured there in recent years, often against the advice of ruling sports bodies and prevailing government ministers. Some touring squads have “adopted” names to avoid total embarrassment to those bodies, but their real identity has never been disguised. These tourists generally take the view that sport is a medium to bring people together irrespective of colour, class or creed. They neither condone nor accept the policies of any ruling government but seek to spread a fellowship and friendship through sporting links. Such ambassadors of goodwill and sportsmanship will do more than the publicity-seeking idiots who supposedly champion the cause of apartheid by disruption and chaos at major sporting events.
Irish Cricket has had links with South Africa. A strong Grasshoppers Squad including a number of international players, toured privately in the winter of 1981/82. Their tour was financed totally independent of outside assistance and although the Irish Cricket Union were informed at the time, it was only out of courtesy to both ruling bodies. Neither Union has the authority to prevent such a private tour and it is highly unlikely it would have been sanctioned in any case.
Ironically, several South African players have also played on a regular basis in Irish cricket. They have played for and against teams that included black players without any sign of animosity. Such is the value of sport where bridges can be built and fellowship enhanced. Can the idealistic politicians or pressure groups offer a more constructive approach?
It must be recognised however, that governments have an electoral mandate with such power in their hands, and sports bodies will be reluctant to take any stand in support of South African sporting links. The fear of withdrawal of lucrative government grants will lean heavily on the minds of sports administrators and never more so than in cricket.
With the politicians issuing regular threats and the Black Nations threatening a breakaway from the establishment, it is perhaps understandable that the cricketing “lords” should take the easy option.
POLITICAL AND SPORTING HYPOCRISY
It would seem that a policy of boycott along the lines of the Gleneagles Agreement will prevail for some time into the future. This useless and much-abused document does little but exacerbate an already explosive situation.
The existence of the so called “black-list” of sportspeople who have had sporting links with South Africa is also a futile and unworkable ideological attempt to embarrass those who seek to achieve some practical alternative to the boycott. Such men and women do not support apartheid because of their South African sports connections. Indeed what does the future of world cricket or indeed world sport hold if a system of blackmail and boycott is to be accepted?
While the events of South Africa will continue to trouble and sadden the rest of the world, links should be encouraged to “enlighten” the politicians and ultimately bring about change. Cricket and indeed all sport, should be used to bring people together irrespective of colour, class or creed. As it stands at present it is the tool of those who claim to work for that objective but do so with seemingly double vision!
