A dozen of the island’s most promising athletes will compete or train overseas thanks to government grants from the National Junior Athlete Sponsorship Programme.

Almost $50,000 was awarded to 12 different sports governing bodies by Nandi Outerbridge, Minister of Social Development and Sport, at a ceremony held at the Coco Reef Resort yesterday.

The Bermuda Equestrian Association received $7,708 — the largest sum handed out — to enable Casey Truran, 16, to train and compete in Europe.

Terrinae Trott, a goalkeeper for the Bermuda Football Association National Academy girls’ under-12 team, was handed $6,116 to attend the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

Stephan Dill, 17, who competed at the Carifta Games in Curaçao this month, will attend a sprint training camp in Calremont, Florida, after being given $4,431 worth of funding.

“I thank the BNAA for believing in me, especially my coach DeVon Bean for working with me over the years,” Dill said. “I didn’t do as well as I wanted at Carifta and I was mad at myself. But now I feel ready to work even harder to compete on the big stages.”

Swimmer Elan Daley, 12, who won ten medals, including four gold, at the Carifta Championships in Bahamas this month — her first major competition — will train at the South Florida Aquatic Club thanks to a grant worth $4,308.

The Bermuda Basketball Association was awarded $3,300 to enable Jorel Smith, 16, to attend the Global Squad Programme in Pottstown, Pennsylvania.

Smith, a CedarBridge Academy pupil, said the camp will not only develop his skills but also show him the intensity in which college athletes train.

“I lived in the United States for a while so that’s where I got my love for basketball,” Smith said.

“Basketball is definitely growing in Bermuda and more coaches are trying to get players involved and get them into colleges overseas.”

Golfer Kenny Leseur, 13, will compete at the Willow Point Junior Classic and the Ol’ Colony Junior Classic both held in Alabama after being awarded a grant of $3,355, while Zaria Amory will train with the Wasps netball team in Coventry, with the 17-year-old being handed a grant of $5,050.

Alyssa Rowse, a 16-year-old cyclist who won the Bermuda Butterfield Grand Prix last weekend, will compete in the Green Mountain Stage Race in Vermont after the Bermuda Bicycle Association received $2,765.

The Bermuda Hockey Federation was presented with a grant of $3,176 to cover the costs of sending Selina Whitter, 17, to the Sports Ways training camp in Barcelona, while 16-year-old cricketer Cameron Jeffers was awarded $5,000 to continue his education at the Sedbergh School in Cumbria, England.

Ahzai Smith, 12, was given a grant of $2,401 from the Bermuda Sailing Association to compete at the South American Championships in Aguavista, Paraguay, and 19-year-old rugby player Mikle Dill was awarded $1,838 to continue his development at a training camp in Stellenbosch, South Africa.