[4] In 1947, Pillay tried to send a selection of boxers, wrestlers, weightlifters and athletes to the Olympic Games in London, which included Eland.
The British Association agreed and arranged a series of concerts and galas to fund Eland's seven-month trip to Britain.
[4] In June 1948, with the support of Tromp van Diggelen, the founder of the British Amateur Weight-Lifting Association, Eland become the first South African to represent Britain in weightlifting at the 1948 Olympic Games.
[4] In 1976, after emigrating to North America, Eland served as the technical coach for the Canadian weightlifting team at the 1976 Summer Olympics and the 1978 Commonwealth Games.
[4] William Ron Eland died on February 12, 2003, while on a visit in Cape Town, South Africa.