Olympic Organising Committee (COOB'92) before finalising this summer's squad.

Bermuda has been told that only 12 athletes can attend the July 25-August 9 Games as Barcelona attempts to streamline overcrowding in the Olympic Village but a unique trade-off of athletes for team officials is in the works.

The BOA council has already approved 10 athletes and there are nine others waiting for the go-ahead.

The BOA has established that April 22 was the cut-off date for meeting qualifying standards, after which athletes cannot be guaranteed of going to Barcelona.

But swimmers Jenny Smatt, Ian Rayner, Chris Flook and Geri Mewett have long since reached the standard in their respective disciplines while equestrians Peter Gray, Mary Jane Tumbridge, Nicola DeSousa, Dennis Cherry and Susan Dunkley have also met the requirements.

Dunkley is the latest to be put forward by the Bermuda Equestrian Federation.

She reached the qualifying standard in Holland in dressage a while back but had to do it again.

Despite recently finishing fourth in a prestigious event in the Goodward, United Kingdom, she only repeated her earlier feat last Friday in Austria.

The athletes who have already been approved are Clarance (Nicky) Saunders, Troy Douglas and Brian Wellman of track and field, and the sailing's team of Peter Bromby and Paul Fisher (Star Class), Reid and Jay Kempe (Tornado Class), Blythe Walker and Ray DeSilva (470 Class), Paula Lewin (Europe Dinghy Class) and Brett Wright (Finn Class).

"The council meeting is delayed until we know what the position is with the (Barcelona '92) Organising Committee,'' said BOA president Austin Woods yesterday. "I will do anything in my power to ensure that the athletes who reached the standard go to Barcelona, even if we have to cut down on the officials.'' BOA secretary John Hoskins later explained that the COOB'92 based its decision to allot Bermuda 12 places on the basis of the team strength at the Seoul Olympics (11).

This year's squad will be without boxing and tennis and with those disciplines being considered non-quota sports, meaning that there is a qualification series before the Games, Bermuda is allowed 11 plus 10 percent (one) for the Barcelona Games.

Which leads to the BOA's ongoing negotiations with the COOB'92 to raise that number and the probable cutback on officials.

MEDAL HOPE -- Sailor Peter Bromby has already earned his place in Bermuda's Olympic team to go to Barcelona this summer.