An international track event will take place in Bermuda this April, according to the Bermuda Tourism Authority and the Bermuda National Athletics Association.

BNNA president Donna Raynor said the event, the Bermuda Invitational Permit Meet, will “be like the America’s Cup of athletics” potentially featuring Olympians and former Olympians competing.

The BNAA made a submission to its international governing bodies to become eligible to host the event and approached the BTA for support through its Tourism Experiences investment process.

Pat Phillip-Fairn, chief product and experiences development officer at the BTA, said: “In the same way the Danish national swim team is here in Bermuda using our national pool to train for the Olympics, we will have some of the brightest stars in athletics competing on our track in about three months.

“The BTA is proud to be a key sponsor of this event because it helps position Bermuda for the next level of sports tourism.”

Officials are reportedly in talks with agents and coaches to attract some of the top names in athletics, while the BNNA will showcase local elite athletes during the invitational including Tre Houston, Tyrone Smith and Aaron Evans.

The schedule of events will consist of 100m, 400m, 400m hurdles, 800m, 1500m, men’s long jump and females’ high jump. The athletes will compete for prize money.

The Bermuda Invitational is one of a series of permit meets held in the Caribbean region – starting in the Bahamas, then Bermuda, Cayman and Jamaica. While events are conducted separately, a BTA statement said they may become a circuit.

“A series of meets in the same geographic region is particularly attractive during an Olympic year when athletes are looking for venues that are close by to compete in,” the statement said. “Bermuda would be well-positioned to play an important role in that kind of circuit because geographically it is close to North America and the Caribbean.”

Mrs Phillip-Fairn said: “If we can make this meet an annual staple, and part of a circuit that includes stops in the Caribbean, we then have the potential to be a part of something truly ground breaking, elevating Bermuda to a level of sports tourism even higher than the one we are speaking of today.”

The Bermuda Invitiational Permit Meet will take place at the National Sports Centre on April 22 from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. Tickets will be made available to the public starting February 29.