Africa Won’t Compete If Budd Does

African nations will pull out of the Olympic Games at Seoul, South Korea, if South African-born Zola Budd is allowed to run for Great Britain, Lamine Ba, secretary-general of the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa, said Saturday.

“On the question of apartheid, we are intransigent,” Ba told Reuters on the eve of a meeting in London that will discuss the naturalized Briton’s future as well as Britain’s participation in the Games Sept. 16-Oct. 2.

“Despite holding a British passport of convenience, Budd has continued to take part in athletic competitions in South Africa. Under both International Amateur Athletic Federation rules and the Olympic charter, she no longer qualifies for the Games.”

The British Amateur Athletic Board’s council will meet in an emergency session today after being told by the IAAF to ban Budd or face suspension itself.