GA/AP/779, 5 January 1978
The Chairman of the Special Committee Against Apartheid, Leslie O. Harriman (Nigeria), issued the following statement today:
My attention has been drawn to reports that an all-white South African Davis Cup tennis team is due to play the United States in Nashville, Tennessee, from 17 to 19 March 1978.
I would recall that a few Western countries, which enjoy weighted voting, have been preventing the exclusion of the South African apartheid tennis union from the International Tennis Federation. The Davis Cup Management Committee has included South Africa in the competition despite strong opposition by many countries and at the risk of disruption of the games.
After a series of boycotts and demonstrations in the European Zone against the participation of South Africa, South Africa was allowed to play in the North American Zone. Protests spread to this zone as well, and only two tennis bodies - Colombia and the United States of America - have agreed to compete in the zone. This year, the Government of Colombia prohibited a match with South Africa on Colombian territory, but the Colombian Tennis Association played in Johannesburg.
The participation of South Africa in the tennis tournament is a violation of the Olympic principle and the International Declaration against Apartheid in Sports adopted by the General Assembly at the last session. I hope that all concerned will exert their influence on the United States Tennis Association to refrain from playing South Africa.
The games in Nashville would be an affront to the oppressed people of South Africa and, indeed, an affront to the world on the eve of the launching of the International Anti-Apartheid Year.
I would like on this occasion again to commend India and Mexico which have forfeited the Davis Cup rather than play South Africa, and the many other countries which have paid fines and suspensions for boycotting South Africa.
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I would also like to commend the many American organizations which have called for the exclusion of South Africa from the Davis Cup.
I would like, in particular, to commend the Council of the City of New York which adopted a resolution on 25 August 1977, declaring inter alia:
"(1)The Council of The City of New York go on record as condemning the support given to South Africa by the United States Tennis Association;
"(2)The Council of The City of New York voices its approval of the work of the American Co-ordinating Committee for Equality in Sport and Society (ACCESS) in its efforts to end all sports ties with South Africa in accord with the United Nations Resolutions;
"(3)The Council of The City of New York communicates to the United States Tennis Association its disapproval of the association policies regarding South Africa's participation in tennis tournaments;
"(4)The Council of The City of New York, in view of its intention to support the efforts of the United States Tennis Association to hold the United States Open in the municipal-owned Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York City next year, calls upon The City of New York to incorporate into its lease with the United States Tennis Association a provision prohibiting the participation of athletes selected or sanctioned by South Africa;
"(5)These provisions shall apply until such time that the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity bans against sports contacts with South Africa are lifted."