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The chances of Bermuda's expat athletes competing at the Commonwealth Games looks to be over, after the Cayman Islands' test case appeal was rejected.

Under new regulations for Melbourne 2006 athletes must have nationality status in order to compete for that country.

Previously competitors simply had to have lived in the country for three years.

Cayman had appealed against the law change in a bid to get foreign expats, working on the island, in to their team.

But the appeal was rejected late last week by the Commonwealth Games executive.

The ruling has massive significance for Bermuda, which had included South African tri-athlete Evan Naude, British tri-athlete Jiemi Brown and Canadian cyclist Lynn Patchett, in its original squad.

Naude's twin brother Riaan would also have been added to the squad after making the qualifying time at the weekend.

But now it appears all four athletes will be cut from the squad.

John Hoskins, president of the Bermuda Olympic Association, said it would launch its own appeal but he admitted the prospects of success were bleak.

He said the Bermuda Olympic Association had been waiting on the decision on the Cayman athletes before deciding how to proceed.

"We are in the same position as Cayman unless we can develop a better argument to justify the inclusion of our athletes.

"It's not looking to hopeful because their appeal was turned down.

There didn't seem to be too much discussion about it really," said Hoskins, who also sits on the Commonwealth Games Executive and is one of 16 people who has a vote in such appeals.

He said the Bermuda Olympic Association was now exploring different avenues of approach to see if it could make a more convincing argument than Cayman had managed.

"I still think it was the wrong decision (to reject Cayman's appeal), It's just not right - what is the Commonwealth Games all about?"

He added that the whole concept of the games was based on friendly competition between people living in different parts of the British Empire.

That, he said, had been undermined by the rule change.[[In-content Ad]]

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