Athletics Champ.

May Be Barred

From Games

From Bob Hawkins, in Suva The South Pacific’s fastest long distance runner and cham pion in the 800 and 5,000 metres, schoolteacher Mike Joyce, might be barred from de fending his titles at the Noumea Games.

IN January this year he left Papua- New Guinea, the country he brilliantly represented at the first games at Suva in September, 1963. and took up a teaching appointment with the Fiji Education Department.

The rule on eligibility for the Games states that a non-island born competitor must be resident in a ter ritory for two years immediately prior to the Games.

But Joyce’s residence in P-NG ap pears to have been broken and the 10 months he has been in Fiji bar him from representing his new country of residence.

Joyce, whose performances in Fiji this year have kept the recorders busy and have inspired many Fijian

athletes to surprise themselves with their capabilities, is beginning to despair of the chance of defending his titles.

He has sent several letters this year to the president of the P-NG Amateur Athletic Association, Mr.

Don Barrett, and a letter to the secretary of the PNGAAA, Grace Cuthbertson, to see if there is a chance to compete at Noumea.

But he hasn’t given up hope.

On Buckhurst Park, Suva, at the 1963 Games, Joyce romped home in the 800 and 5,000 metres and took the silver medal in the 1,500 metres.

At Rabaul in 1964, at the ter ritory championships, he set a P-NG record of 4 mins 5.1 secs for the 1.500 metres. This time was 16 seconds faster than the winner’s time at the Suva Games.

In August, 1965, he established a new P-NG record of 15 mins 45 secs for the 5,000 metres.

He was unable to defend his 1.500 metres title that year because the 5,000 and 1,500 metre events were placed 35 minutes apart on a two-day programme!

Shatters Records

Since moving to Fiji Joyce has done nothing but shatter records.

He has repeatedly broken the all comers’ and national records in the 1.500 and 5,000 metres.

His best times so far this season are 15 mins 19 secs for the 5,000 and 4 mins 5 secs for the 1,500.

He also has the fastest time in Fiji for the 800 metres (2 mins 0.1 secs) and 10,000 metres (34 mins 2 secs).

“As far as I know there is no one anywhere near my times for the 1.500 metres, 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres in P-NG this year and there certainly isn’t in Fiji,” said Joyce in October.

He feels that his years in P-NG should still qualify him for a place in the P-NG team.

“I take the view that I have in fact established residential qualifications for P-NG and, having established them once don’t have to re-establish them.”

He said it was quite common, for example, for a non-Australian born swimmer to compete for Australia and then go to the United States to study.

This swimmer, he says, can still compete for Australia and does not have to re-establish eligibility.

Joyce, who plans to be at Noumea for the Games, if only as a spectator, has taken an active part in the coaching and training of middle distance runners in Fiji, as he did in P-NG.

Mike Joyce in action in Fiji.