Despite his love for his birthplace, Troy Douglas, does not see himself returning to live and work in Bermuda when his running days are over.

The veteran sprinter, who now competes for The Netherlands, says the Island is too rigid in certain respects which would thwart his efforts to make a contribution to athletics here when he retires from international competition in two years.

Additionally, the man who represented Bermuda in three successive Olympic semifinals in either the 200 or 400 metres charges that athletics - and sports in general - is still not regarded with the same esteem as academic professions here.

"Bermuda has to want me. The bottom line is that I can't come home to Bermuda and get the kind of work I have here. In Bermuda's eyes, I am not qualified. That's the biggest setback while over here they say `Listen, you've been doing this for 15 years and we don't care about papers or qualifications. All we know is that you're good at what you're doing and we're going to pay you to do it," explained Douglas who mixes coaching with his sprinting these days.

Elaborating on his view that athletes do not enjoy the same favour in Bermuda that they do elsewhere, he outlined the following scenario.

"I could say `Let me take three or four top athletes and you give me $20,000 for each athlete per year and I'm the national coach and I'm going to oversee these guys' programmes. The Dutch Federation would give me the money and say go get a medal'.

"In Bermuda, they will say `Make the medal, then we'll give you the money'. I have no time for that. You're telling the athletes they have to go out on their own, sacrifice, find somewhere to train and then we'll get behind you if you succeed. I can't deal with that. It's not fair. The athletes need the support now."

Douglas, on the comeback trail following a two-year ban from international competition for the alleged use of nandrolone, has recorded some good performances this season. Just months shy of his 40th birthday (November), he has Just months shy of his 40th birthday (November), he has been battling it out on sprinting's frontlines with some of the world's top competitors.

These results, plus encouragement from his peers and Dutch athletic authorities, have influenced his decision to continue competing for another two years, after which he will coach full-time. He has been coaching part-time for the past five years and the balance will continue shifting towards coaching until he changes career completely. He has already been promised a national coaching position when he retires from competition.

"I love athletics. This is who I am and this is what I want to do. That's one of the reasons I love being over here.

"That was my biggest problem as a Bermudian athlete - figuring out what I was going to do after athletics. In Bermudian culture `If you're in sports, then you're dumb'. The stereotype doesn't sit well with me.

"So even though I am still 100 per cent Bermudian - all my upbringing and everything - in some ways I'm now more Dutch than I am Bermudian," said Douglas who has been living in the European country for eight years.