something else to look forward to at the 1998 Commonwealth Games.

Almost a year to the day before the opening ceremonies, the Malaysia Games are shaping up to be the best ever, Bermuda Olympic Association president Austin Woods said.

Woods and BOA general secretary John Hoskins returned this week from Kuala Lumpur after representing Bermuda in meetings with the Commonwealth Games Federation. And after visiting sites and accommodations, Woods is already prepared to call these Games the best ever.

"Very impressive,'' he said of the facilities, nearly all of which are brand new. They will all be built on time and will be connected by a monorail system.

"I think it's going to be very difficult to beat these Games,'' added Woods.

The outdoor stadium will seat 100,000 and feature a state-of-the-art scoreboard; the fully air-conditioned indoor stadium will have 13,000 permanent seats and 3,000 retractable ones, and the swimming complex will have seating for 4,000.

Woods' only concern was pollution -- which he said local officials called "haze'' -- and humidity. Once acclimatised to the conditions, the 15 or so athletes expected to represent the Island can expect top-of-the-line treatment, he said.

Woods also sampled the athletes' menu on Friday and had a tour of the athletes' village, consisting of luxurious three-bedroom suites. "I can say that the athletes will be adequately fed and the housing will be first class,'' he said.

The Games also figure to be the biggest ever, with 69 nations now accepted and 15 sports on the programme. Netball, rugby, cricket and hockey were added as medal sports by the Malaysian organising committee, although Bermuda will not send a team in any of those.

These sports have not been granted permanent acceptance and could be eliminated by the next 2002 programme in Manchester, England.

One new activity that is not under the same pressure is "cue games,'' accepted last week as a fully-fledged medal sport for 2002. For the first time, medals will be awarded in both billiards and snooker.

The next step on the road to the Commonwealth Games is identifying performance standards for athletes. These will be determined by the BOA after consultation with local federations.

More than 6,000 athletes and officials will take part in the Games from September 11-21, 1998.