Tony McGill

The New Zealand team manager, Tony Walton, reports on the team’s results at the Los Angeles 1985 World Deaf Games including where the team stayed and played at.

A shipwreck themed fancy dress party – a basketball fundraiser – was organised by the Christchurch Deaf Basketball Club. There are pirates aplenty and dress parades with the best dressed going to Graham Hammond and Joyce Ferguson.

The popular basketball programme was hosted over two days at Cowles Stadium with footage coverage of the Manawatu and Christchurch ladies competing for the Otago Deaf Society Cup, which Manawatu won (19-15). The winner of the Cunliffe Memorial Cup (men’s) went to Christchurch, with the runner up Wellington (63-56).

The educational TV series ‘Spot On’, visits a Deaf basketball training session to catch up with Royce Flynn and Megan Mansfield, and understand how the sport is played by Deaf athletes, and controlled by a Deaf referee.

It’s not often we get to see four New Zealanders on the podium at the same time, and that is what we get in this video! It's most certainly time to break out the champagne when the team gets back to their base with a speech by the team manager.

Narrated by Tony Walton, the New Zealand team’s plans are disrupted two hours into their flight with an engine problem. They are forced to return back to Auckland.

The second National Deaf Sevens tournament was held at the Linton Military Camp, located just south of Palmerston North, where the Central boys won a points-based competition.

The New Zealand basketball team battled it out with Sweden on 13 July 1985, at Pepperdine University, Malibu. The first half went to Sweden, 81 to 25, before the New Zealanders fought back for a better second half, ending with 156 to Sweden and 74 to New Zealand. It was the New Zealand basketball team’s second loss at the Games, having earlier lost to Israel. They came 7th out of 8 teams at the Games.

The New Zealand Deaf team marched on Dominion Road, accompanied by police, with farewell speeches at Auckland Deaf Society before departing for the 15th World Games for the Deaf in Los Angeles.