Bermuda’s chef de mission is hard at work in Asunción six days into the Junior Pan American Games.

The capital of Paraguay is hosting the second edition of games focused on the best under-23 athletes of the region and watching the athletes compete represents the culmination of a journey that has taken months.

Combining a full-time job, a young family and starting a new business would be enough to challenge most people, but David Thomas was excited to embrace the challenge of ensuring Bermuda’s young sports stars can enjoy a problem-free stay in South America.

“It’s completely different from what I normally do, but I’m a very detail-oriented person, so I’m just making sure I can do what I can to make sure our athletes are successful.” he said.

“Everybody’s been looking forward to it and looking forward to putting that Bermuda flag on the map. What has made it easier for me is that I have been an athlete, and as much as I didn’t look at the chefs on the trips I went on in great detail, I was aware of what they did and what their function was.

“This role has given me something to sink my teeth into in terms of making it as easy as possible for our athletes to compete at a high level.”

Thomas competed for Bermuda in tennis at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010 and felt he had the experience to take on the all-important role.

“I was on the athletes commission, and for that you had to represent Bermuda at a certain level,” he said.

“I went to the Commonwealth Games, so I was familiar with everything under the umbrella. It was a natural progression, as my tennis career was pretty much winding down.

“I like different challenges and I was around the table for different things with the BOA. They liked what I brought to the table and presented me with the opportunity. I had to speak with my wife and family to make sure that it all makes sense.”

The role of a chef de mission is demanding and Thomas has needed the backing of his wife and young family to dedicate the requisite time to the position.

“It’s definitely not been the easiest and on top of everything else I just started a business, so it’s a balancing act,” he said.

“I’m lucky in that my wife is an educator, so she’s not working full throttle as she would if we were in the school year. To leave a six-year-old and a three-year-old at home is tough, and it certainly raised some eyebrows when I first brought up the proposition, but she knows what sport means to me and what Bermuda means to me. She wants me to do well.”

With his playing experience having taken him to a number of major events in many different countries, Thomas is in an ideal position to take note of the changes in organisational structure at the Games.

“I had taken part in the CAC Games and represented the island at the Davis Cup and major tennis competitions,” Thomas said.

“We knew what to expect, but the Commonwealth Games was a whole new level. I walked into a stadium which was filled with more people than lived in Bermuda. It was something I’ll never forget, but this feels different.

“The Olympics and other major games stay the same, but I get the sense they are trying to be more sustainable, so the big departure is there is no athletes village and the 4,000 athletes are spread around hotels in Asunción.

“You may lose a sense of camaraderie that you tend to build in an athletes village, but it’s give and take. When we arrived in Delhi, they were still building the village, but that will not be an issue here.”

Kaden Hopkins won Bermuda’s first medal at the Junior Pan American Games in 2021, with swimmer Jack Harvey adding to the island’s haul when finishing third in the 100 backstroke on Tuesday, but Thomas does not evaluate his performance by the amount of times Bermuda are on the podium.

He has also made the athletes aware of what it means to represent Bermuda and how they should consider themselves ambassadors for the island.

“Behaviour has been the least of my concerns,” Thomas said.

“I’d already expressed to all of the athletes the bare minimum is that you represent yourself, your family, the country and your sports well, so I’ve never been worried about that.

“As much as it would be ideal for us to medal in every event we participate in, that’s unlikely, but I want to see these athletes push themselves — and if it’s not a personal best, maybe they get their best result and achieve some progression, as this is a stepping stone to what comes next in their life.”