Canada’s sport minister, Otto Jelinek, quelled rumors...

Canada’s sport minister, Otto Jelinek, quelled rumors that his country was joining the increasing Commonwealth Games boycott by pledging 100% support to make the event in Edinburgh, Scotland, a success.

Of the 58 countries originally scheduled to compete, 31 have pulled out in protest of Britain’s refusal to impose sanctions against South Africa over its policy of apartheid.

Jelinek blamed press speculation for creating the uncertainty about Canada’s participation, and he said that although the Canadian government was strongly opposed to apartheid, it did not see what would be achieved by a boycott.

“Nothing is resolved by boycotts. You have just got to look at the 1980 Olympics and (the Soviet intervention in) Afghanistan,” he said. “The Soviets are still there, and people are still dying. Nothing about this boycott will change the situation in South Africa.”