Cancel tour of Zimbabwe: PM

Prime Minister Helen Clark has called for the Black Caps to cancel their tour of Zimbabwe next year.

Clark yesterday described the African nation's presidential elections as "a farce" and "a tragedy" but said she was pessimistic about a bid to ban Zimbabwe from next year's Twenty20 World Cup in England.

"We have found that in the International Cricket Council (ICC) it has always been very difficult to get support, other than from Britain and Australia, to take this sort of action," she said. "I'd be a little bit pessimistic about how possible that is, but certainly we would be encouraging New Zealand Cricket ... to take the matter further. Obviously we would prefer the Black Caps not play in Zimbabwe."

The team is scheduled to tour Zimbabwe in July next year.

Zimbabwe's eligibility to compete in the Twenty20 World Cup will be determined tomorrow when the 13 directors on the ICC executive board discuss the country's prolonged political turmoil at a meeting in Dubai.

Zimbabwe Cricket managing director Ozias Bvute reacted angrily at the weekend to the threat of expulsion, asking why other sports bodies had not threatened similar action.

"We are a full member of Fifa (the world football body) and are currently participating in a World Cup qualifying campaign, and we have a swimming programme which has produced Kirsty Coventry, a recent winner in the world championships," Bvute told the BBC. "So it would be strange that the only sport to take action on so-called current worries is cricket, when all the other world sporting bodies have not taken that stance."

Zimbabwe Cricket has sent a letter to all 13 members of the ICC, describing the expulsion threat as politically motivated.

The English and South African cricketing authorities have severed ties with their Zimbabwean counterparts, while the British Government said it opposed Zimbabwe touring England next summer and participating in the Twenty20 World Cup.

A run-off presidential election was held in Zimbabwe last week despite international condemnation. President Robert Mugabe was the only candidate, having used murder and intimidation to drive opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai to pull out of the race.

New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan flew to Dubai from London on Saturday. He was quoted in the Sunday Star-Times as saying the sticking point was likely to be the fact that the ICC had no constitutional ability to sideline the Zimbabwe team.

While the British Government has already banned the first tour by Zimbabwe next year, if it tries to prevent Zimbabwe from attending the subsequent world tournament, the event is likely to be moved to Canada.

The Green Party, as well as New Zealand human rights groups, have been urging all sports teams to sever ties with Zimbabwe and for New Zealand Cricket to be the first.

"The maximum international pressure now must be exerted on the regime, with New Zealand doing what it can to help," said Greens foreign affairs spokesman Keith Locke.

"Sporting sanctions are where New Zealand can have the greatest impact."

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JHO   #1   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

The Zimbabwe situation is unacceptable. And I would like to support a boycott.

However, the problem I have is why NZ is not doing as similar thing to China? That is: Boycotting the Olympic Games?

Free and fair elections are yet to be held in China.

What to do? ---

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