American athletes to visit island
A group of high-performing athletes from the United States will provide training sessions in Bermuda this month.
Up to 45 athletes from USA Track and Field’s Athletes Advisory Committee will host the Elite Athlete Summit held annually to set the organisation’s strategic goals for the year ahead and will boost the development of local athletes.
The event, inspired by the Bermuda Tourism Authority, is due to take place from October 18 to 21 at the Hamilton Princess and Beach Club.
The tourism industry traditionally focuses on attracting sport teams and other groups at this time of year.
Team USA Track and Field stars Darrell Hill, Kara Patterson, Will Claye and Queen Harrison are among those expected to visit the island.
The group also aims to engage Bermuda’s students and inspire them into the sport of athletics while encouraging active lifestyles in general.
Jeff Porter, USATF Athletes Advisory Committee chairman, said: “The organising committee has been nothing short of amazing to work with and have ensured that our athletes will have a once in a lifetime experience in Bermuda.
“We are also excited to bring the world’s No 1 team to Bermuda and experience all the country has to offer.”
Hazel Clark, the BTA’s newly installed director of sports business development, is a member of USATF and a three-times US Olympian. She worked with her colleagues in the sport to attract its annual retreat to Bermuda.
Ms Clark said: “It’s exciting that the first piece of business I landed in the new job is with my former fellow athletes.
“I’m grateful to be working with a variety of on-island partners to ensure my first clients, many of them long-time friends, have a great Bermuda experience during their annual retreat.”
Ms Clark is also a six-times national champion in the 800 metres.
She joined the BTA in late July in the new position that was created as part of an organisational restructure to grow the volume of sports tourism business to Bermuda.
• This article was amended to correct Jeff Porter’s position at the USATF
• For more information visit www.usatf.org