The National Archery Association of Bermuda (NAAB) expressed surprise and disappointment that Government stated on Thursday that they were one of four sports who have been given a final warning to comply with the WADA regulations.

Paul Harshaw, president of the NAAB said yesterday: "It is difficult to understand how the Government can say that the National Archery Association of Bermuda has failed to comply with its obligations when we have done everything that has been asked of us and nothing further has been requested from us.

"We suspect that there has simply been a miscommunication somewhere and that the National Archery Association of Bermuda was not intended to be identified in your article (Friday morning)."

Harshaw said that on February 12 this year the Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation wrote to the association indicating that five issues needed to be addressed in order for association to continue to use Government facilities and to be in compliance with the WADA regulations.

"Those issues were a change in the constitution to provide for a commitment to drug-free sport, an explanation of the coach's education, the provision of lists of competitors ¿ both elite and domestic ¿ completed whereabouts forms for competitors and a description of pre-event testing procedures for the domestic programme," said Harshaw.

The NAAB president said that 10 days after receiving the letter from Government in February the association replied informing Government that "three of those five issues could not be addressed because they did not exist and that the two other issues were being addressed presently".

He said: "That letter informed the Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation that the National Archery Association was in the process of amending its constitution; there were no coaches to educate ¿ we cannot afford a coach ¿ there is no distinction between 'elite' and 'domestic' competitors, there was only one person who had indicated a tentative desire to compete this year and he would submit a whereabouts form; and we have not had a competition, even a domestic one, in many years."

And then on March 23 the association submitted the amended constitution together with a whereabouts form for the one archer who may compete this year, "thus fulfilling all of the requests" made by Government in February.

Since then the association has heard nothing from Government or the Bermuda Island Games Association, the Bermuda Olympic Association or the Bermuda Council for Drug Free Sport.

"It is difficult to understand how the Government can say that the National Archery Association of Bermuda has failed to comply with its obligations when we have done everything that has been asked of us and nothing further has been requested from us," said Harshaw who added that yesterday after reading the aricle in The Royal Gazette he tried to contact Youth, Sport and Recreation but to no avail.

"Cathy Belvedere of the BCDS is apparently off the island as is Jon Beard.

"It is difficult to see what we can do if no one is available to tell us what else is expected of us," he added.

The other sports Government gave a final warning to this week were boxing, martial arts and target shooting.