Bermuda’s chef de mission for the upcoming Olympic Games, Katura Horton-Perinchief, is counting down the days until she arrives in Paris.

Speaking at a Bermuda Olympic Association press conference to formally announce the eight athletes to represent the island at the 33rd Olympiad, Horton-Perinchief laid out some of the logistical efforts involved as she prepares to fly out to Europe on July 19.

“The work never ends and we have done everything from co-ordinating uniforms, the opening ceremony, the closing ceremony, competition uniforms, booking plane tickets, train tickets, trying to figure out Airbnbs for those in satellite villages, everything,” Horton-Perinchief said.

“I don’t mind telling you that I was caught a little off guard by how involved it is but it’s an honour. From start to finish it’s just been go, go, go for us.”

Horton-Perinchief has been working for more than a year to make sure that the needs of Bermuda’s newest Olympians are met and is thankful that she is taking charge of a team in Paris four times the size of the one in Tokyo in 2021.

“What’s great for me is that we have a team that will represent Bermuda so well,” Horton-Perinchief said.

“We had two last time and eight this time so we have quadrupled our team and each one of them is at the top of their game and are ready.

“It is my first time back at the Olympic Games in 20 years, when I competed for Bermuda in Athens, and I’d like to thank the Bermuda Olympic Association, Peter [Dunne, BOA president] and the executive board for selecting me for this honour. I’m really excited to get started.”

As an Olympian who competed in diving, Horton-Perinchief is ideally placed to know what it takes to perform at your best and she is keen to lay out the advance made by the BOA in a number of areas in the two decades since she competed at the Games.

“What’s great about the position that I’m coming from is that I have been there and I do remember what was lacking 20 years ago,” Horton-Perinchief said.

“To be fair, we’ve advanced in technology, access and opprortunity. Also we have a welfare officer now who is going to be taking care of the safgeguarding of our athletes. We didn’t have such things before.

“We will have two physios on site and I am coming to it from a place of me being there before and wanting more and better for this team than we had 20 years ago.”

France remains in a volatile situation politically with recent elections suggesting a polarised population, the rise of the far Right and sporadic violence breaking out on the streets of Paris, but Horton-Perinchief is confident there will be no compromising of the athletes’ safety.

“Security is tight at the Olympic Games anyway and we have no qualms about our athletes not being safe, but the International Olympic Committee have put out a manual about how to be safe in Paris and we’ve been monitoring the political situation for a while.

“There were some tuestions about security but it is tight so I don’t anticipate any issues for our athletes in Paris.

“For example, beach volleyball is at the foot of the Eiffel Tower but for the duration of that competition there is no access to the Eiffel Tower itself so there will be no tourists hanging out there while the Games are going on.”

Peter Dunne is overseeing this Olympic cycle for the first time as BOA president and understands the history and prestige involved in his role

“I can’t overstate how much of an honour it is to be going to the Olympic Games in this role,” Dunne said.

“For every young person who ever kicked a soccer ball or went swimming in a pool or raced their neighbours around the block, this represents the pinnacle of sporting excellence.

“To be a part of this and to lead the organisation and this team is such an honour and I know that everybody here in the office, on the board and its members has given me the honour to do so.”