after the national team were forced to pull out of the CAC Games.

Nigel Pichery accused the BOA of being backward in their policies and "hiding behind the International Olympic Committee's flag'' after ruling that goalkeeper Kevin Hill could not represent the team in Venezuela.

With the squad's reserve goalkeeper, Craig Burt, unavailable because of other commitments, the team could not compete effectively in the tournament and decided to cancel the trip, Pichery said yesterday.

Although he has lived on the Island for 15 years, the selection of Hill, originally from the US, was vetoed because he is not Bermudian-born and does not have status -- both requirements of IOC rules, adopted by the BOA.

Hill has also been married to his second Bermudian wife for three years while his first marriage, also to an Island woman, lasted seven years. But to compete as a Bermudian it is understood his first marriage would have needed to be for ten consecutive years.

Pichery tried to enlist the IOC's help but the organisation said there was nothing they could do and the decision had to be taken by the BOA.

"Personally, I think Bermuda's sports bodies have to come in line with what's happening this century,'' he said. "They're too far behind in their policies.

"For example the Cayman Islands formed a team to go to the CAC Games with ex-pats because they knew it would take time for their youth programme to bear fruit.

"They adopted a policy of saying: `We'll allow you to play for now but you'll have to give way when our youngsters come through'.

"Our youth programme has only been going for about six to eight months and we're not going to reap the benefits for two or three years. I think the BOA are hiding behind the IOC flag.'' Pichery, who guided the team to a fourth place in the recent Caribbean Championships in Barbados, added: "We've tried to explain to the BOA that we're not keeping a young Bermudian out of the squad.

"When we started training in September we had four goalkeepers -- three Bermudians and Kevin. But for whatever reasons, whether they found the training too hard or didn't have the commitment, two of them left.'' Hill, a former ice hockey goalkeeper from New Hampshire who converted to the field version of the game eight years ago, said: "It's ludicrous and short-sighted. I just don't understand it. It's not going to be detrimental to a Bermudian.

Austin Woods, president of the BOA, sympathised with the hockey team's predicament but said his hands were tied.

He said: "If there was anything I could do, I would.

"But the criteria for selection are clear. You must be Bermudian-born or have status. The only exception is the Commonwealth Games, where you can compete if you have lived here for three years.

"It is a decision taken by the BOA general council which is the highest authority of the organisation. It is one of those cases where we have someone good who resides in Bermuda but whose status is not cleared.'' Pichery said: "Sending a less than competitive squad would not do justice to the team's achievements at the Caribbean Championships where we nearly placed in the medals.'' But he pledged to keep the national programme operating.