Olympic sailor Neil Pryde recalls dash to Mexico in 1968 – ‘liable to get robbed, killed’

Olympic sailor Neil Pryde said attending the opening ceremony and raising the flag for Hong Kong at the sailing venue in Acapulco were the most unforgettable memories of the 1968 Mexico Olympics.

The New Zealander, who moved to Hong Kong to realise his Olympic dreams, has a regret, however: not getting any good photos at his only Games.

Then a 29-year-old, Pryde was the helmsman when he partnered Peter Gamble in the Flying Dutchman event. Days before the first race off the Pacific coast, sailors were flown to Mexico City for the opening ceremony on October 12.

“The most memorable part of the whole Games was walking around the Estadio Olimpico Universitario during the ceremony,” Pryde, now 85, said. “That’s something you never forget, that’s the most memorable.

“A de O Sales, the chef de mission of Hong Kong, met us all, we had a meeting with all the other athletes from the delegation, and we suited up in our uniforms and marched around the stadium with 80,000 people cheering.”