James Stout is expected to be named Male Athlete of the Year at the annual Sports Awards this evening after Government blocked the nominating committee's original choice, Roy Allen Burch.

The Olympic swimmer has paid a heavy price for speaking out about a perceived lack of support for his sport during an interview with The Royal Gazette last April.

Sports Minister Glenn Blakeney presented the nominating committee's list of winners to Cabinet at a meeting this week, only for several Ministers to object to Burch's inclusion.

Officially the Governemt refused to comment on the issue. However a person who was in the meeting said: "There was a serious objection, a couple of Ministers stood up and said he couldn't have it because of what he said in The Gazette."

And a source inside the Department for Youth, Sport and the Environment, confirmed that the award would now be given to World Raquets champion Stout.

"There had been talk of not giving it to anyone," said the source. "But it was decided that wouldn't work, people would get up and walk out (of the awards). Now they're going to give it to someone who plays a sport about only six other people in the world play.

"The committee are hugely upset. After all, what's the point in having a committee if your recommendations are then going to be over-ruled. It's political interferance of the worst kind."

In the article that started the row, Burch suggested that there was little appreciation or support for Olympic athletes in Bermuda, and that Government prefered to stick to sports they are more comfortable with such as football and cricket.

"No one seems to know we send people to the Olympics," said Burch. "Or they feel more comfortable (being) with more black people, but I have become more comfortable in any scene.

"I would like to expose people to more things. Everyone's sitting on their hands waiting for a handout. You have got to go and get it."

And Burch, who receives Government funding as one of Bermuda's elite athletes, appears to have been silenced this time around, refusing to comment on yesterday's events.

"I was told that I had been nominated, but I've now been told that I'm in a bad situation and shouldn't say anything. They've told me to keep my mouth shut," he said

While Sports Minister Blakeney refused to comment, Randy Horton, a former Sports Minister said the incident would taint this year's awards ceremony.

"I do not know any details about what has happened," said Horton. "But I certainly know from my experience when I asked a committee to come forward with a recommendation in a situation like this I never interfered.

"Certainly I would hope a decision would not be made based on comments that the Government isn't giving us enough money because any sport could say that.

"Something like this, it certainly would taint it, and would make the person who does recieve the award feel different than if something like this had not happened. The shame about this is that both of them are very outstanding athletes."

The awards ceremony, in which both the Male and Female of the Year will be offficially named, will be held at City Hall tonight.