fitness of Olympic sprinter Devon Bean.

So concerned is BTFA chief Stanley Douglas that yesterday he was personally heading a search abroad for suitable meets which would enable the 20-year-old to prove he had fully recovered from a recent calf injury which sent him jetting back to California for treatment.

Douglas said he had checked on three meets, two in Canada and one in the Bahamas -- the latter on July 15 for which Bean's entry had been accepted.

"Of course we want to eliminate all of the fear and ensure everybody and ourselves about Devon's conditioning,'' said Douglas. "The Bermuda public has to feel comfortable about sending him.

"Bermuda Olympic Association are always concerned. They want to give the athletes the best experience and they wouldn't want the athlete to go out there and not be able to perform at their best. And they recognise that since this is a sprint event, sharpness is the key.

"We definitely don't want Devon to go in there cold and then try and produce when he hasn't been running.'' Bean has been in California near his college at Long Beach for over a week working with a physiotherapist. And yesterday he was reported to be on the road to a full recovery.

But competition in a strong 100 metres event will be the only way for him to test his Olympic fitness.

According to Douglas, the BOA are assisting in efforts to get him to meets before the Games begin in just over two weeks' time.

The Bahamas Olympic Festival, said Douglas, would be ideal for Bean as it would offer similar weather conditions to Atlanta and include some of the top sprinters from Europe and the Caribbean.

"What we must remember is that he is young and hasn't been in events like the Pan Am and Commonwealth Games yet,'' added Douglas. "I don't think we should place too high an expectation on him the first time. If he can run 10.27 again it would be great, but if he ran a 10.4 that would also great.'' Bean's first meet could be the Record International in Kitchener, Ontario this Sunday but that race is believed to be already over-subscribed.