Olympian Katura Horton-Perinchief is hopeful that she can upset the odds and displace incumbent Bermuda Olympic Association president Peter Dunne when election votes are counted tonight.

Horton-Perinchief accepted the nomination of one of the national sports governing bodies to run for the presidency last month but is under no illusions at the difficult task she faces to unseat Dunne.

“I understand that I’m the underdog, but everybody loves a David and Goliath story,” Horton-Perinchief said.

“I’m so excited and It’s nice to carry out the democratic process and not have everybody grandfathered in because they are running unopposed and, truthfully, over the years BOA has not been good at having election races.

“We’ve had a lot of people who stay in position until they resign and I’m excited for the BOA as it shows growth and engagement within the community.

“I am the challenger and the incumbent has a proven record of what he has been able to do. I have immense respect for the current leadership, but I thing it’s going to be a tight race.

“It’s like any other election in that you can poll until the cows come home but you never know what people are going to do in a voting booth.

I know we share a common passion for Bermuda’s athletes and I’m not sure how it’s going to go, so I’m just grateful for the opportunity to run, but I do hope it goes in my favour.”

Horton-Perinchief found out that she had been asked to stand on the day of her brother’s funeral and feels humbled that members of Bermuda’s sporting community feels she is worthy of taking on the role.

“The way the nominations go, the NSGBs will nominate you and you can accept the nomination or not,” Horton-Perinchief said.

“My brother was buried on November 21 so it has been a bit of a tough time for my family and I didn’t know that I had been nominated, but it was on the 21st I found out I had been asked to run for the presidency.

“It’s a responsibility I don’t take lightly and I’m truly grateful for any trust and confidence that those NSGBs have placed in me. I’m super excited but it was a bit of a shock.”

Horton-Perinchief, who competed in diving at the Olympics in 2004 and the Commonwealth Games in 2002 and 2006, has had little time to canvass but has been thankful for open discussions with NSGBs and the support she has received.

“I think the nomination on its own is a reminder that none of us really gets here alone,” she said.

“We don’t operate in silos and I’ve always had a lot of time for NSGBs and the sheer amount off work they do for the BOA. We are not the experts in every single sport and we lean on those NSGBs to be the advocates for the athletes in their sport, so it’s always great to talk to them and I love doing it.

“What is unique was the opportunity to talk to them about leadership and what the BOA leadership position could be and how it could be more helpful in the overall environment for Bermudian sportspeople.

It has been a whirlwind year for Horton-Perinchief, who is already a member of the BOA’s executive board and she will be seeking re-election for that role in the event she fails to win the presidency.

Having successfully navigated the role of chef de mission for Bermuda at the Olympic Games in Paris this summer and grieving the loss of a loved family member, she is hopeful of ending 2024 on a high but, no matter the result, she is sure that sport will continue to thrive.

“The sporting fabric of Bermuda always deserves to win so the NSGBs will decide who the best candidate for them is,” Horton-Perinchief said.

“I’m excited for things to come but for me, personally, it has been quite the year with ups and downs, highs and lows.

“Even within the chef position everything has been thrown for loops and it was a real roller-coaster. I would love a win but, either way, the Bermudian sporting community will win because we will work with whatever decision they make.

“I have been part of Peter’s board for the last three years, so it is not like any of my ideas are new to him. This is not a fait accompli or a sure thing. Every day in every month and at every meeting we have to give our best to stay in the positions we have been elected to. This is a great opportunity to encourage everybody to keep getting better at what we do.”