competitors boost

Overseas coaches and competitors boost Caledonian sportsmen

From a Noumea correspondent The new year has opened with many a Caledonian sportsman hoping to qualify for a trip to Tahiti next September and join in the IVth South Pacific Games.

National French trainers continue to arrive in Noumea from Paris and matches with overseas sportsmen re main the ambition of each discipline.

Young swimmers who had some what relaxed their training last winter, especially during the H month’s closing of the main Noumea club’s pool, were drawn back into the competitive spirit with the return of their coach in late October.

Jacques Mouren had been six months abroad, travelling in the United States and France. On his way home, Mr. Mouren spent a week studying techniques of the famous Santa Clara club in California.

The end of the year found his young charges occupied primarily with school examinations and Mr.

Mouren regretted that he did not have enough racing swimmers.

At that stage Thierry Ruyer had not again started to train. Marie-Jose Kersaudy was not training seriously, while Dolores Anewy had to recover from an appendix operation. Last northern summer, Dolores swam in the French team at the European championships in Barcelona: she was eliminated in the 800 metres.

Meanwhile, Mr. Mouren’s club, the Cercle des Nageurs Caledoniens, is looking forward to the arrival soon of French coach Francois Oppenheim.

Mr. Oppenheim has become very popular with the Caledonian swim mers since his visit to train them for

the South Pacific Games in Noumea, December, 1966. Mr. Oppenheim is now to settle in Noumea and become secretary of the CNC club, with his wife also assisting at the pool.

Once his youngsters have begun shaping up under this reinforced coaching, Mr. Mouren says he would welcome some overseas swimmers in Noumea about May.

Caledonian soccer players also have the aid of a French coach, now that Mr. Rene Fleurian has arrived in Noumea for a three-year stay.

One of Mr. Fleurian’s first tasks was to organise prospecting tours of the inland and outer islands, in search of promising young men from among the 4,000 soccer players in the ter ritory.

The French trainer is working together with popular Caledonian coach, Guy Elmour, who undertook his third three-week training course in France, during the latter part of the year.

The energetic president of the Caledonian Football League, Guy Fouques, after heading this sport for 12 years, recently announced that he will retire after the Tahiti Games.

Mr. Fouques pointed out that he will be the only sporting president to prepare a Caledonian team for all four South Pacific Games.

In his programme for this year, Mr. Fouques says he hopes the Cale donians will have a trip overseas and also receive teams from New Zealand and NSW (Australia), before the Tahiti Games.

Meanwhile, during the visit of the Australian national soccer team last October, various Pacific soccer officials met in Noumea to discuss the terms of the Oceania Cup com petitions scheduled for next October.

This event will be held in Noumea, with six countries and territories participating—Australia, Fiji, French Polynesia, New Zealand, Papua-New Guinea and New Caledonia.

Other sportsmen are equally keen in their preparations for contests

with other Pacific Islanders. The third and final round of the Caledonian Underwater Spearfishing championships took place, with eight pairs competing, in December. Vic tory went to Aime Bourgoin and Albert Tuipua, the latter from French Polynesia.

Team sports have also seen keen preparations over the past months.

In volleyball, a special course for trainers and referees was held in the latter months of the year. The league reports that the strength of its women’s team has weakened with the loss of several of its top 1969 Games players. Among the men volleyballers, the champions remain the young students at Paita seminary.

Men and women basketball teams flew to Auckland for two weeks of competition in October-November.

The Caledonians won about half of their matches against New Zealand teams. The women were led by Mrs.

Corrie Gaveau, formerly of North Auckland, who is now a prominent player in Noumea. After their trip, the Caledonians were looking for ward to the arrival of a coach from New Zealand, Ross Williams.

Yachting is a sport which has seen a rapid increase in supporters over the past year: Noumea now has no less than seven yacht clubs, some of them but newly-formed and lacking in equipment. Their enthusiasm is quite obvious, however, as an increasing number of com petitions are held around the bays of Noumea over the weekends.

But the sport which undoubtedly captured the greatest interest was cycling. After the 12-day Tour de Caledonie race around the island in September, the track season attracted a keen bunch of overseas contestants in December. The arrival of French trainer Mr. Moussard was followed by that of two New Zealand cyclists, John Dean and Harry Kent, as well as two Australians, Gregory Barnes and Ken Latta. Four champions from France then flew in for 10 days, to add to the excitement of the races. The Frenchmen were Daniel Morelon, with a grand col lection of international racing titles, accompanied by Gerard Quintin, Alain Dupontreux and Michel Zucca relli.

Unfortunately, the first big inter national evening produced serious falls which resulted in fractured limbs, speedily eliminating Zuccarelli and Barnes from further races.

Thus in swimming, soccer, basket ball and cycling especially, overseas coaches and competitors are assisting New Caledonia’s sportsmen to equip themselves for their performance in Tahiti.