When we talk about the Seoul Olympics lots of images crowd into our minds with what has been called the Dirtiest Race in History (the men’s 100 metres final) being foremost.   Peter Elliott, Colin Jackson and Mark Rowland were all competing with Scotland’s Eliot Bunney being part of the silver medal winning relay team; for the women Yvonne Murray (3000m) and Liz McColgan both won medals.   But it was John’s first Olympics and he had a lot of work to get through in the three or four years leading up to the Games.   

Having been informed early on about his appointment for the Games in 1988 – see the note below – he had to get to know the athletes, the other officials, refine his own techniques and to some extent define exactly what his job would be.   He, and the other officials, were allocated a series of international fixtures in the years leading up to the actual Games and we can look at three of the pre-Seoul fixtures, all very important for different reasons, in the lead up.   But first the allocation of the principal tasks.

 

The first was the B International against Northern Ireland, France and Belgium in mid August.

The team was a good one – and some very experienced athletes for a B team were included.

The event went smoothly and the official report, written by John, on the meeting is here.

That was the start of the lead-in meetings – the next two were much bigger affairs.   First there was the European Championships in Stuttgart at the end of August.   John did his usual sterling job and the congratulations were not long in coming.   The Championships ended on 31st August but it only took 6 days for the letters to arrive.

The hand written letter from Mike Turner (who seems to have had a special reason for thanks above the administrator’s duties) was on two sides of paper:

All that remained was the official report written by Mike Turner.   I attach the front page of this report.

 

Another honourable report on John at a higher level of competition.   The next match would be even higher – the World Championships in Rome in 1987.   Frank Dick’s preview of that championships:-

How did the championships go?   Well, it was a very good GB team the  medalists were Linford Christie (3rd, 100), John Regis (3rd 200)Peter Elliott (2nd, 800), Jack  Buckner (3rd  5000), Jon Ridgeon (2nd 110 hurdles), Colin Jackson (3rd hurdles), men’s 4 x 400 2nd, and Fatima Whitbread (1st Javekin).   John did his usual good job and the team was on its way to the Olympics in Seoul via the holding camp in Japan.   His behaviour throughout the campaign and indeed  in the championships themselves was exemplary as is shown in this letter of thanks from Mike Turner.