IT?S scandalous, shocking, almost laughable . . . but, guess what, not in the least surprising.

Given Government?s record of squandering taxpayers? money with reckless abandon, it shouldn?t surprise anyone that Tourism Minister Ewart Brown has now committed another $80,000 of public funds to arguably the most financially irresponsible of all local sporting bodies, Bermuda Track and Field Association.

The on-off-on again saga of International Race Weekend that has dominated these pages in the last week is so typically reflective of an organisation which seems to become mired in controversy with every event it attempts to stage.

Sports Minister Dale Butler last week labelled the BTFA as ?sports terrorists? ? perhaps the most damning condemnation of a governing body ever made by a member of Government.

But there aren?t many in the athletics community who would argue with his assessment.

Unfortunately his Cabinet team-mate, Brown, takes a different view.

While the BTFA were announcing in a bizarrely worded press release last week that next year?s International Race Weekend was cancelled because of a lack of funds, Brown was insisting the event was ?on big-time? ? pledging bundles of taxpayers? cash, no questions asked.

What did he care that the ?terrorists? running this event hadn?t produced a financial statement in more than five years, and hadn?t paid out prize-winners for the last two?

What did he care that nobody had the slightest clue what happened to the tens of thousands of dollars in race entry and registration fees which the BTFA rake in every January?

Obviously, not a great deal.

But even with Brown?s help, the BTFA were still insisting the event was off, until happy-go-lucky philanthropist David Barber stepped forward with another 50 grand.

That was just enough for the BTFA to make a U-turn, and at a press conference on Tuesday they and the Tourism Ministry confirmed the January road race festival was back on.

But in return for Government?s $80,000 contribution, warned Brown, the BTFA would have to be accountable.

?The money that Government provides towards sponsorship is taxpayers? money and therefore we are accountable and anywhere we send that money the accountability process must follow,? proclaimed the minister.

Really!

So, what happened to that process this year, last year and countless years before?

Government have been pouring money into the BTFA coffers in the form of an annual grant and sponsorship of International Race Weekend for as long as we can remember. And accountability has seemingly never been an issue.

We haven?t seen any financial statements and, as mentioned, the runners haven?t seen their prize winnings (until this week) ? except occasionally in the form of a bouncing cheque!

How can Brown be so sure our hard-earned cash is going to be accounted for this time around, when history suggests the complete opposite.

To be fair, International Race Weekend is an event worth saving. For more than 25 years it?s perhaps done more to put Bermuda on the map than any other sporting occasion.

And its success in recent years has been due in no small part to an army of volunteers including stalwarts such as Pam Shailer, Pat Lake, Roger Lee, to name but a few, who have put in endless hours to ensure its smooth running.

But their efforts have been continually undermined by others within the organisation who feel they are a law unto themselves.

Is it any wonder corporate Bermuda has steered well clear of this athletics showpiece?

And if they don?t want any part of it, why on earth are Government so keen to fill the void, especially under the current administration?

Of course, with some fresh faces in the BTFA hierarchy ? or better still, an independent road race association running the show ? it might be a different story. And had Brown insisted on a shake-up within the governing body before making a donation then his generosity with our money might have been understandable.

But he didn?t. And if he ends up with egg on his face, there?ll be plenty of people ? Minister Butler included ? who?ll say ?I told you so?.