From the South China Morning Post this week in: 1976
The biggest news this week is the Olympics in Montreal, with 14-year-old Rumanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci stealing the show. On July 21, the new Olympic queen was poised to take gold from the 1972 star, Olga Korbut of Russia. Comaneci had already made Olympic history by winning the maximum score of 10 points in three events, a feat no female competitor had ever achieved. She would accrue four more perfect scores during the competition. Overall her medal tally came to three golds, a silver and a bronze, and she was also named overall champion.
Queen Elizabeth opened the 21st Olympiad four days ago amid medieval pomp and pageantry that was marred by the absence of Taiwan and a boycott by African and Arab nations. More than 7,000 athletes from nearly 100 nations marched in the opening-day parade, hoping to find glory in 23 events.
Taiwan's team of 42 withdrew after the Canadian government said it would allow the Nationalists to use their flag and national anthem but not compete under the name Republic of China. 'It was disgraceful of Canada to appease the Chinese communists by ignoring international justice,' Taiwan legislator Tao Yung said.
The 23 African nations, including Kenya, Nigeria and Ethiopia, walked out after the IOC refused to honour their request to expel New Zealand, whose rugby team is touring segregationist South Africa. Lord Killanan, the Irish president of the IOC, held that since rugby was not an Olympic sport and this was the basis of the request, the protest by the Africans was unjustified. On July 19, Guyana and Mali pulled out in support of the African boycott, and Egypt also called its athletes home. More teams withdrew from the Games, with IOC officials saying only 27 had pulled out but media reports said 30. The withdrawal created a situation without precedent.
On July 25, Lebanese rightwingers kept shelling a collapsed building on the edge of a refugee camp near Beirut, preventing efforts to rescue 500 trapped people. The pro-left Beirut Radio reported that 20 people had been pulled out alive, but artillery fire was too heavy to pull out more.
