Hazel Clark has expressed her disappointment that the USATF Bermuda Grand Prix is unlikely to return to the island.

Clark, a three-times Olympian who resigned as the Bermuda Tourism Authority’s director of global business development and partnerships last month, was instrumental in attracting the event to the island and remains convinced that high-profile sporting events are integral to boosting Bermuda’s profile overseas.

Despite her sadness at the loss of the meeting she describes as “testament to the unifying power of sports and the vibrancy of Bermuda’s community”, Clark looks back at her involvement with a sense of pride.

“The Bermuda Grand Prix remains one of my proudest achievements from my time with the BTA, where I had the privilege of helping bring this vision to existence,” Clark said in a statement to The Royal Gazette.

“The event successfully showcased Bermuda as a premier sports destination and I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Freddie Evans, Mia Bean, the team at the BNAA, Athene and the Bermuda Government.

“An exceptional thank you to all the athletes, especially my personal friends, who made this dream possible and a special acknowledgement to Athene CEO Natasha Scotland Courcy, whose critical support was instrumental in making the event a success.

“The Bermuda Grand Prix was a testament to the unifying power of sports and the vibrancy of Bermuda’s community. While I am disappointed that it will not return, I remain firm in my belief that strategic investments in events like this are essential to elevating Bermuda’s global profile. I hope to see a continuation of embracing opportunities highlighting the island’s immense potential and inspiring future generations.”

It is not only those influential off the track that will miss the event with Olympic 100 metres champion Noah Lyles expressing his sadness that the grand prix has been removed from the schedules and outlining his gratitude to Clark.

“It has been great to get to know Bermuda through my relationship with close family friend Hazel Clark,” Lyles told The Royal Gazette yesterday.

“The Lyles Brothers Sports Foundation has brought several programmes to the island, which enabled us to engage with local students and our programme and trips have brought more than 60 international visitors to Bermuda.

“Bermuda has felt like a second home and I appreciate the hospitality and support the community has provided. Despite the USATF Bermuda Grand Prix being cancelled, I look forward to working with Hazel and partners in Bermuda to continue the connection between our foundation and the island.”

The grand prix is the latest international sporting event set to bypass Bermuda with the island also removed from the 2025 SailGP calendar.

Bermuda hosted the sailing event in three of the past four years but the BTA has said it is hopeful that Bermuda will be back on the hosting list in 2026.

“Bermuda hosted SailGP in 2021, 2022 and 2024, and we are proud of our multiyear partnership with this growing international brand,” BTA chief executive Tracy Berkeley said in a statement after Bermuda failed to feature among the 2025 destinations.

“While we are not positioned to host the SailGP competition in 2025, we have our sights set on reprising our host status in 2026.”