Sport

The Welsh Rugby Union had close ties with the all-white South African Rugby Board. In April 1984 it invited South African rugby boss Danie Craven as its guest of honour at a game between Wales and the President’s XI. Three Springboks played in the President’s team. The invitation provoked huge opposition, with a ‘Charter Against Apartheid’ in the Western Mail signed by former prime minister and local MP James Callaghan, most Welsh MPs, church leaders, writers and trade unionists. The Welsh Rugby Union finally severed its ties with the South African Rugby Board in 1989.

Black British sportspeople were especially active in sports boycott campaigns. The main speaker at this conference was Paul Stephenson, the only black member of the British Sports Council. The conference was organised by the Communist Party’s Afro-Caribbean Organisation.

Letter from AAM President Bishop Trevor Huddleston to Prime Minister Thatcher asking her to stop the English rugby tour of South Africa in 1984. The government refused to intervene and the tour went ahead in spite of widespread protests.

Over 1,000 protesters marched through Cardiff to Cardiff Arms Park on 7 April 1984 to protest against the Welsh Rugby Union’s invitation to South African rugby boss Danie Craven to be guest of honour at a game between Wales and the President’s XI. Three Springboks played in the President’s team. The invitation provoked huge opposition. A ‘Charter Against Apartheid’ was signed by former prime minister and local MP James Callaghan, most Welsh MPs, church leaders, writers and trade unionists.

Poster advertising a demonstration outside the John Player rugby cup final at Twickenham in protest against the Rugby Football Union’s tour of South Africa in May–June 1984. Student activists demonstrated at Heathrow on the day of the team’s departure. The tour went ahead in spite of a long-running campaign against it. The Conservative government expressed its opposition to the tour but took no action to stop it.

Demonstration outside the John Player rugby cup final at Twickenham on 28 April in protest against the Rugby Football Union’s tour of South Africa in May–June 1984. Student activists demonstrated at Heathrow on the day of the team’s departure. The tour went ahead in spite of a long-running campaign against it. The Conservative government expressed its opposition to the tour but took no action to stop it.

Wales AAM ran a long campaign to persuade the Welsh Rugby Union to break off its links with the South African Rugby Board. This pamphlet made the case for a complete break with apartheid sport. The Welsh Rugby Union finally severed its ties with South Africa in1989.

Disabled People Against Apartheid campaigned for South Africa’s exclusion from the Stoke Mandeville International Games, forerunner of the Paralympics. The group was formed in 1981 after sportswoman Maggie Jones was banned from the European Paraplegic Table Tennis Champonships for distributing anti-apartheid leaflets. This leaflet advertises a demonstration against the South African team at the 1985 Games. Later the same year South Africa was suspended from future Games.