While most of the focus has been centred on Bermuda's Olympians this summer, another group has been working to represent their country.

There is a connection, however; both reflect the obsession with personal fitness that has become almost a religion in the health conscious nineties.

Sunday's Ms Fitness Bermuda competition at City Hall will determine Bermuda's three representatives at the Ms Fitness Worlds competition in Columbus, Ohio, in the first week in March, where the contestants have the chance to win up to $50,000.

But participants are keen to distinguish themselves from bodybuilders however.

The women do appear in swimsuits and are rated on body symmetry and muscle definition, but try to develop lean, athletic bodies which are not overly muscular.

"Body builders and Ms Fitness Competitors train in the same way, but their body fats are different; a body building competitor gets down to be as low in body fat as he possibly can, whereas a Ms Fitness competitor must get the fat down low, but one of the requirements is that she must not be veiny and overly muscular. In fact competitors are scored down for being overly muscular,''says promoter Devrae Noel-Simmons.

In the first round, contestants walk across the stage in evening gowns and are judged on their style and poise -- but it is not a traditional beauty competition, he emphasises.

While in evening gowns, the competitors will be asked to give a sixty second discourse about their fitness philosophies, how they got into fitness, the motivation behind their fitness drive, and their long-term fitness goals.

In the second round, the women are rated on strength, endurance and flexibility.

The third round consists of the competitors, to display their own personalities, doing a 90-second choreographed aerobic routine.

"The aerobic routine can be comical, funky, the contestants can use props, create their own costumes, and really use the 90 seconds to show their originality, as long as they have the mandatory moves in the routine,'' notes Mr. Noel-Simmons.

He said he was disappointed with the lack of support for the event from sports shops, travel companies, and Government, which he thinks sees the event as purely recreational.

"The seven competitors are very serious athletes, who have been training very hard for months in advance,'' said Mr. Noel-Simmons,"training just as hard as international soccer players, track athletes, rugby players, or any other international athlete, and they deserve the community's recognition and support. The purpose of these competitions is to show that athletic women can be beautiful, that they have a presence and strength about them.'' The competitors are in good hands with Mr. Noel-Simmons and Sally Wombwell, an aerobic instructor with a gymnastics and choreographic background.

"We go over the routines with the competitors, make sure they have all the mandatory moves, that their routine will be appealing to the judges. We also give them pamphlets concerning their nutrition and diet and make sure everyone has ample opportunity to win.'' The competition will be judged by five international judges flown in for the event. Head judge of the Ms International Fitness World, Carla Dunlop-Kaan, is joined by fitness celebrities Renita Harris, Debbie Kruck, Diedre Pagnalli, and Todd Sweeney.

The show is at 7.30 p.m. Tickets are $35 in advance or $45 at the door. They can be purchased in advance from Mr. Noel-Simmons at 292-4095 or 292-7379.