University of Virginia Library

Olga Outlawed??

With Bill Bardenwerper

Olga Korbut, the impish little Russian gymnast who
won the hearts as well as well as the respect of so many
Westerners with her stunningly intricate yet amazingly graceful
performance at last summer's Olympic games may soon find
herself without an act and out of business. How about that . . .
gymnastics without Olga Korbut? Echoing the words of the
official sports organ, Sovietsky Sport, "No, it must not happen,"
end of the sports world, "Impossible!!"

The diminutive Miss Korbut is in trouble. Says the
International Gymnastics Federation which recently banned
certain elements of her program particularly her breath-taking
double backward somersault off the balance beam-from future
competitions: her stunts are too daring and her act too
dangerous.

Agreed, Few of us who crouched anxiously biting our
fingernails before the TV screen last summer would deny that
her daredevil antics are risky. But then so was Bob Seagren's
181/2 foot vault with a flimsy pole over and equally shakey bar
into a sand pit.

White water canoing isn't too safe either. Those jagged rocks
and white rapids-can rip a man to shreds.

Getting one's nose bashed in boxing and falling off a horse in
the equestrian are also not infrequent occurrences. Maybe these
two sports' respective federations ought also to bar hitting in the
head and galloping.

This may be carrying things a bit far, but the the I.G.F. is
hardly excluded here either. Actually, the decision is still pending
the approval of the federation's entire assembly which will meet
in Rotterdam next November which means that Olga, who
captured three gold medals at the Munich games, is free to
continue her routine until that time.

Nevertheless, if the decision is adopted by the entire assembly
the 18-year-old star says she then sees no place for herself in
gymnastics, Says Olga: "The point is not the fact that I would be
compelled to replace my combinations in two events. It's not
simple to do that, but in the end it is possible. . . [However] it
has always been considered gymnastics has the right to determine
its own style. Yes, the routines were difficult, but our motto has
been to strive for higher complexity."

Higher complexity and greater skill. That's what sports is all
about, isn't it? Well, isn't it??

SNEAK PREVIEW

Remember the Chicago Democratic Convention of 1968 with
all its chaos and confusion? Well, Chicago seems destined for
another such skirmish of sorts, hopefully not as bloody but quite
possibly as raucous.

August 6-7 are the dates for a special convention of NCAA
delegates to discuss some pretty significant matters which ACC
President and University Vice President for Student Affairs, D.
Alan Williams contends have kept a goodly number of schools "at
odds with each other for some time."

Yet the major topic of concern to be brought before the
convention in the form of a motion is a proposal to divide the
NCAA into three distinct divisions rather than the present two.
As of now, the NCAA is comprised of the University and the
College divisions, the University division comprising those schools
which compete with major institutions in nearly all sports.

The new proposal, on the other hand, calls for three divisions
in which Division I which now claims some 250 members would