Commonwealth heads of sport got a hearty endorsement from Games Federation chairman Sonny de O Sales of Hong Kong here yesterday.

De O Sales, whose Commonwealth connection will end in 1997 when Hong Kong becomes part of China, said he has been impressed by Bermuda's bid to host the annual general meeting of the Federation.

"Our purpose is to allow the countries that cannot host the Games to be the site of the general assembly,'' he said, "and I'm quite sure Bermuda will deal with it very well should the vote go their way on Saturday. Bermuda is a new bid, and that should attract people to support it.'' De O Sales, who visited Bermuda in 1956, does not have a vote at the general assembly meeting on Saturday at which the major decisions of the week will be made. The meeting will wrap up six days of activity that is expected to lay the groundwork for the future of the games.

Of immediate concern is the second team sport -- netball has already been added -- that will be inserted into the Games line-up for the 1998 competition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Limited overs cricket and seven-a-side rugby are said to be favourites of the Malaysian organising committee.

Five other team sports -- soccer, basketball, handball, field hockey and volleyball -- will be considered for inclusion on the optional list of sports from which future Games bidders will select. "Sports must get on the programme first,'' de O Sales said. "Then it's up to the bidding cities to select which sports they would include in their Games according to their popularity in the Commonwealth. Once their selections are made known, the delegates will vote regarding who will get the games.'' "We're taking an expansionist view on this matter -- we want to put more sports on the list,'' said Federation honourary secretary David Dixon of England. "Inevitably, however, the numbers have to be looked at. The whole question of sport selection is a difficult and emotional one for everyone.'' The Federation on Saturday will also consider whether to add new individual sports to the Games, as well as re-visit issues like drug-testing procedures and gender verification tests. The tests, which have been used to determine whether female athletes were actually that, are expected to be dropped.

Some 59 of the Commonwealth's 66 nations will be represented this week, including delegates from the Isle of Man and Guernsey, Bermuda's competition to host the 1995 meetings.

While the rest of the Commonwealth delegation here this week ponders such weighty issues as the introduction of new sports to the Games, John Hoskins' top concern is purely domestic in nature.

"The main thing we're interested in this week is having the 1995 meetings in Bermuda,'' said Hoskins, secretary general of the Bermuda Olympic Association.

"We've had a very positive response from everybody so far.'' The Isle of Man bid is built around a new $30 million Radisson Group hotel which is scheduled to open next month -- and the government's policy of transforming the Manx economy from one heavily dependent on tourism to one that mixes tourism and international business.

"The bucket and spade people aren't coming to the Isle of Man from the Lancashire towns like they used to,'' explained Federation regional vice-president Ron Killey, who is spearheading the Manx bid.

Hoskins' involvement does go beyond that of an advocate for Bermuda -- he is also one of five members of the sports committee which meets today and will forward its recommendations to the general assembly regarding the inclusion of new sports into the Games.

"In principle, I'd like to see team sports in the Games,'' he said.

"Anything that's played in Bermuda, we'd like to see included.''