A national park was selected as the venue for a motocross tournament to attract international competitors to the event, according to Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch.

The Minister of Public Works spoke at a press conference on Coney Island today ahead of the races on Sunday.

Jyire Mitchell, of Pink Sand Scrambling, put forward a proposal to hold the event on the nature reserve, even though a purpose-built motocross track already existed at nearby Southside.

Excavation work began at the park — a popular birdwatching sanctuary — last month, prompting a wave of protest from environmental groups that questioned why the competition could not be held at Southside.

Despite the protests, Colonel Burch gave the event the green light last month.

Today, he confirmed that the National Parks Commission had expressed concerns about the proposal.

However, he added: “While I consider those concerns, I also must view the broader context of balance in the community.

“So, I met with Jyire and his team to seek their response to the NPC concerns. To say that their response was comprehensive would be an understatement. They had satisfactory answers to each point raised by the commission.

“Additionally, I subsequently met the team at Coney Island to walk the course and learn what plans they had for the site.”

According to Colonel Burch, Mr Mitchell told him that international stars of the sport were not interested in competing at Southside, and that a more challenging course needed to be created.

Colonel Burch said: “He said no overseas rider will come and ride on that track, which is man-made. This isn’t.

“This is a natural environment and a track that provides more challenges than Southside and so that’s the reason for Coney Island — and it also has a history of providing that activity in past.”

Mr Mitchell, a professional motocross rider who competes internationally, was also at today’s press conference.

He said that more than 80 riders had signed up for Sunday’s event, including two Bermudians based overseas and four foreign riders.

Mr Mitchell said: “This is a public park. I do understand that environmentalists are part of the public, but it’s not a nature reserve.

“I know that they don’t understand that this is a public community park but the public will be here.

“I’m not asking to have this back for ever. It’s a one-off event for now.

“They have how many parks that they can go to for one day.”

Zane DeSilva, a government MP and chairman of the National Parks Commission, also attended the press conference.

Mr DeSilva’s company, Island Construction, is sponsoring the event, which is offering $10,000 in prize money.

Colonel Burch highlighted that excavation work to create the track had little impact on the environment.

He said: “The track features will be temporary, including the soil and mulch jumps.

“They will be dismantled and removed immediately after the event, leaving no lasting changes to the landscape.

“Additionally, the walking trails, which have been incorporated into the track design, will be fully restored to their original condition.

“No trees will be removed as part of this event, and the track will adhere to existing pathways to avoid further disrupting the environment.

“The organisers have worked closely with my ministry to ensure that all preparations respect the local ecosystem.

“For example, track production will strictly follow existing trails, and no additional clearing of vegetation beyond essential brush trimming will occur.

“Temporary features such as portable facilities and fencing will be carefully removed, ensuring that the site is left in its natural state as quickly as possible after the event.”

Colonel Burch pointed out that planning permission had not been required for the event, “underscoring that this is a temporary, low-impact, public land use”.

However, he did not rule out that more motocross tournaments could be held at the site in the future.

The minister said: “We are treating this as a controlled, one-off pilot project.

“This allows us to assess not only the success of the event, but also the effectiveness of our environmental safeguards.

“We will carry out a post-mortem after the event and consider any feedback or lessons learnt before deciding on any possible future actions.”

Colonel Burch expressed some sympathy with environmentalists, but added that “a balance” had to be struck.

He said: “This event offers a unique opportunity for community engagement, youth empowerment and sports tourism while posing no long-term harm to the environment.

“Oftentimes leadership requires making decisions that might not please everyone but are in the best interests of the island as a whole.

“This is a young Bermudian with international experience in professional motocross racing and event planning.

“His proposal was thorough and professional and clearly demonstrated a commitment to making this event a success, not just for himself but for the community.

“It is time we as a country stopped being the country of ‘no’.

“Our people — young and old — will never reach their full potential if not given the opportunity to shine.

“In fact, supporting our youth has always been a cornerstone of my work.

“This event isn't just about a motocross race, it's about showcasing what Bermudian talent can achieve on a global stage. But you cannot save every tree in the country, you cannot save every blade of grass.

“There has to be balance, and while the environmental community object to virtually everything this ministry tries to do, I find that unreasonable.

“I think the approach has got to be balance and I think we make a real effort to arrive at that balance on an individualised basis.