The lack of funding that nearly put an end to International Race Weekend this year is now a concern of the past.

That is the promise of Bermuda Track and Field Association president Judy Simmons, who confirmed the popular January event was fixed on the international athletics calendar until at least 2007.

And Simmons is hopeful that, thanks to an earlier start than usual to their preparations, a higher calibre of athlete may be on the start line come January.

?We are still having talks with sponsors but certainly we can guarantee the Weekend for the next two years,? said Simmons, who faced criticism last year when the 2005 Weekend was fist cancelled then re-instated thanks to Government and philanthropic handouts.

?And for next year, we are already working hard towards getting some strong competitors.

?We have started the process a little earlier and we made some good progress at the World Championships, I have some strong contacts who are agents and we certainly put Bermuda?s name out there again to them.?

Even though Simmons is hopeful of strengthening the field for January?s Front Street Mile, 10K, half-marathon and marathon events, she remains realistic at how high up the rankings they can go.

?We are not prepared to start paying appearance money at this stage,? she said. ?We can certainly get the next tier of athletes involved but we can?t go higher than that, because that is when appearance money comes into play.

?We can?t guarantee the extra sponsorship to do that ? and we certainly don?t want to do it without guarantees. It would do more harm than good if we paid appearance money one year and then not the next.?

Simmons also revealed that the BTFA were looking at different types of sponsorship to stage the annual event ? which typically costs between $200,000 and $300,000 as well as keeping back $43,000 for potential record bonuses.

Sponsors would be able to back individual elite athletes, helping to pay for their travel and accommodation expenses, the best the BTFA can do in the absence of appearance money.

She wouldn?t go into any further details about the sponsorship drive, partly, she said, because it would be unfair on particular partners and partly because Simmons said she felt it wasn?t her place to be the figurehead of the event any longer.

Despite having already put in planning work for next year?s event, Simmons confirmed that she would not be at the forefront of organising the 2006 edition of the athletics extravaganza.

Simmons, who will step down as BTFA president at the December AGM, told she would just be playing an advisory role. ?I have done my time,? she added. ?Of course I am going to still be there for the new president ? whoever that may be ? if they want some advice, but I can no longer make the commitment I used to.

?It is someone else?s turn now.?