In 1977, the common wealth heads of state met in Auchterarder, Scotland, one of the various proposals they agreed on in support
for the international campaign against apartheid was to discourage sporting contacts with South Africa. This resulted in the Gleneagles Agreement which enforced the Commonwealths stance to oppose racism. An almost worldwide sporting ban on South Africa by the Commonwealth was an effective idea, for many of the sports that white South Africans took an interest in, like rugby and cricket were participated by and dominated by Commonwealth countries.
The Gleneagles Agreement was a cause of the 1981 tour protests because of its international significance. By deciding to ignore or deliberately go against the Gleneagles agreement New Zealand looked like it was, condonin apartheid. Robert Muldoon said he had no obligation to follow it. Many New Zealanders were outraged at how the Muldoon government could so easily disregard
an international agreement and felt they would suffer as a nation if the tour went ahead as well as the risk of being exiled from the commonwealth for such a breach of international policy. The protesters felt they had international
backing that they had been given extra fuel to the idea that the New Zealand government was wrong, and anti-tour protestors were right. By putting rugby over apartheid, New Zealand made the choice to ignore the rest of the world's judgement and it didn’t take long before they realised their blunder when over 20 countries boycotted the Montreal Olympic Games, just because New Zealand was
attending.
for the international campaign against apartheid was to discourage sporting contacts with South Africa. This resulted in the Gleneagles Agreement which enforced the Commonwealths stance to oppose racism. An almost worldwide sporting ban on South Africa by the Commonwealth was an effective idea, for many of the sports that white South Africans took an interest in, like rugby and cricket were participated by and dominated by Commonwealth countries.
The Gleneagles Agreement was a cause of the 1981 tour protests because of its international significance. By deciding to ignore or deliberately go against the Gleneagles agreement New Zealand looked like it was, condonin apartheid. Robert Muldoon said he had no obligation to follow it. Many New Zealanders were outraged at how the Muldoon government could so easily disregard
an international agreement and felt they would suffer as a nation if the tour went ahead as well as the risk of being exiled from the commonwealth for such a breach of international policy. The protesters felt they had international
backing that they had been given extra fuel to the idea that the New Zealand government was wrong, and anti-tour protestors were right. By putting rugby over apartheid, New Zealand made the choice to ignore the rest of the world's judgement and it didn’t take long before they realised their blunder when over 20 countries boycotted the Montreal Olympic Games, just because New Zealand was
attending.