Bermuda Sailing Association have high hopes for the three-man team they are sending to the 2010 Volvo Youth Worlds in Istanbul, Turkey from July 8-17.

James Anfossi and Jordan Saints will compete in the two-man International 420 dinghy while Jason Saints will sail in the Laser Radial dinghy.

They will be joining 341 sailors from 62 countries taking part in the 40th anniversary of the regatta.

All three sailors established themselves at a young ageas some of best on the Island in the Optimist class and have represented Bermuda many times on the international stage at Continental and World Championships. They earned the right to go to the Youth Worlds by winning their respective classes at the Bermuda National Championships.

BSA president Somers Cooper said: "In addition, Bermuda was pleased to be one of 12 nations that were approved for Athlete Participation Programme (APP) funding support to attend the . . . the World Championships. A key factor in the increasing number of nations competing at the championships has been the APP, which provides funding . . .

"Since its introduction in 2003, the APP have directly supported the participation of over 143 sailors and helped introduce 12 new nations to the championship. This year, 26 sailors from 12 nations will benefit from APP support."

Antonio Gonzalez de la Madrid, ISAF competitions manager, said: "As in previous editions, the response to this year's programme has been very large with a total of 56 applicants from 20 countries. ISAF had to employ strict criteria over the allocation of funding, focusing this year in South American and the Caribbean countries. This fact and the record attendance at the 40th anniversary event are clear signs that the championship is one of the most important dates of the year for young sailors."

In addition to subsidised travel and entry, the APP also provides free, top-level coaching during the championships.

Besides Bermuda, the nations to benefit from APP funding this year are Ecuador, US Virgin Islands, Jamaica, Paraguay, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, St Lucia, Mexico, Nigeria, Columbia and Samoa.