After two months of political wrangling and endless red tape, a decision has finally been made ? cyclist Lynn Patchett will not be allowed to represent Bermuda at the Commonwealth Games which begin on March 15.

Under the controversial 2003 rule change, three non-Bermudian athletes hoping to travel to Melbourne ? triathletes Evan and Riaan Naude and Jamie Brown ? had already been ruled ineligible.

However, it is understood that during the protracted negotiations over Patchett?s eligibility, the Commonwealth Games Federation did agree that she should be allowed to compete, subject to the approval of the International Cycling Union (UCI).

But after weeks of uncertainty and numerous letters and e-mails, the UCI finally declared yesterday that under their rules, Patchett ? a Canadian who has been resident on the Island for many years ? would have to be a Bermuda national to take her place in the cycling events Down Under.

All four excluded athletes put in months of arduous training to reach the qualifying standard ? having not been told by Bermuda Olympic Association that their involvement had been plunged into doubt almost three years earlier.

Serious questions over the BOA?s conduct have been raised since the news first came to light in January, with BOA president John Hoskins admitting that he had erred in not communicating the information to the athletes affected.

Riaan Naude and Englishman Brown have already lambasted the local Olympics governing body for the blunder.

And yesterday national cycling coach Greg Hopkins called for a comprehensive post mortem in the immediate aftermath of the Games to ensure the same mistakes were never repeated.

He also expressed his disgust at the length of time it has taken to get Patchett?s eligibility issue resolved ? a point underscored by the fact that she would have left for Australia yesterday to begin her preparation.

?I think it is appalling that an athlete should have to wait until the day she was due to travel before discovering whether they are eligible or not,? Hopkins said.

?The process involved four different organisations and when each organisation doesn?t respond in good time, the whole thing takes much longer than it should.

?I have spent a long time talking closely with Lynn about this whole thing and trying to keep her in a positive frame of mind, but in the last few weeks this has become very difficult.

?The situation changed so frequently. There were times when we thought she had no chance of going and then all of a sudden we would get news from one of the organisations involved which would suggest that there was a glimmer of hope.

?It was a rollercoaster ride mentally for Lynn and I feel enormously sorry for her.

?What your average lay person I don?t think will appreciate is that the mental preparation for a competition of this stature is just as important as your physical preparation. You can be as fit and strong as you like, but if you are not together mentally you are not going to perform.

?People who know Lynn understand what a superb competitor she is and how meticulously she prepares herself for racing. She has been badly affected by this whole ordeal and we cannot go on treating athletes like this.

?That is what I?m more interested in. Whatever the politics of the situation, and I am not going to play the blame game or point fingers, it is the welfare of the athletes which is uppermost in my mind.

?Lynn has reached a point where she doesn?t even know if she wants to ride again this year ? which is incredibly sad when you consider how good she is and what a valuable contribution she could make in the competitions she is eligible to compete in. This can never happen again.?

Patchett didn?t return calls yesterday.