OVER the next week or so, Bermuda's cricketers will play in South Africa and Namibia, young sailors will compete in Uruguay and a strong squad of athletes will test themselves against the best of the Caribbean at the Carifta Games in Cayman Islands.

Only a few years ago that would have been considered extraordinary.

That's no longer the case.

Bermuda's sportsmen and sportswomen are competing across all corners of the globe with such regularity it's difficult to keep track of their travels.

Winning domestic trophies is significant and enormously satisfying, but these days clearly that's not enough for those have set their goals so much higher.

There was a time when competing abroad was a big deal – qualifying for the Olympics, Commonwealth and Pan-Games was the ultimate achievement and still is.

But the route to those Games, as well as the Worlds, has taken a different path.

Oddly financial restrictions and lack of support were the major obstacles in the past.

However, despite the current economic climate, nowadays there always seems to be a way, either through sponsorship, Government grants or various fund-raising events to find enough cash to buy an air ticket and book a hotel.

Opportunities abound, whether they be in the Caribbean, North and South America, Europe, Africa and even further afar.

In the last month alone, more than a dozen local sports have been represented overseas – football, cricket, golf, swimming, sailing, boxing, motorcycle racing, men's and women's basketball, hockey, track and field, road running, triathlon, cross-country skiing, equestrian, even ice skating. In the next few weeks you can add cycling, tennis and squash to that list.

Vanessa James, currently competing in the World Figure Skating Championships, might have taken French nationality, but she remains a Bermudian, and was raised and schooled here (at Mount St. Agnes).

And there are others who, while not participating, are making their presence felt.

David Patrick is the current assistant basketball coach of St Mary's University who last week stunned second seeds Villanova in the NCAA West Region Basketball championships and find themselves in the so-called 'Sweet 16' of college basketball's 'March Madness'.

Another Bermudian, David Bascome, continues to be an influential figure in the USA's indoor soccer league, ensuring that more and more of his fellow countrymen are given the chance to impresses club coaches.

The Bermuda flag is fluttering more than ever before.

Yet in the last week, two members of the Bermuda Government commented that 'many of these sports have gone unnoticed'.

Maybe they have, but not by this newspaper. Every one of those sporting achievements have been extensively covered by the Gazette.

But some MPs still whinge about negative reporting.

Whether the teams or individuals are enjoying success or not, the exposure and experience is laying a platform for others to follow.

The opportunity to see the rest of the world is an education itself.

Cup Match and the May 24 marathon will always be cherished by Bermudians as events open only to Bermudians and Island residents.

And while they may have been seen for many years as the pinnacle of sporting achievement, their status has been somewhat diminished in that they have become a stepping stone to much larger events elsewhere.

From an island of 21-square miles and with a population of some 60,000, it's difficult to imagine any country so small can make such an impact on the international stage.

But we do, and it should generate considerable pride.

If only we could take care of more significant and depressing issues at home . . .

If only the front page of this newspaper could provide the same kind of news that appears on the sports pages every day . . .

– ADRIAN ROBSON