VETERAN swimmer Kiera Aitken will carry the Bermuda flag tonight in the Opening Ceremony of the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro. As it is Bermuda will not have that many athletes marching in the Opening Ceremony at the famed Maracana Stadium.Aitken is one of two swimmers representing Bermuda in Brazil — the other being Roy Allan Burch. She has competed for Bermuda in the Athens Olympics, the Commonwealth Games last year and has also competed in previous Pan American Games and World Championships. Over the past year Aitken has based herself in Barcelona, Spain training at the Club de Natacion for these Pan American Games. And she is also hoping to qualify for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing at the Games in Rio.

A large number of Bermuda’s contingent will not have arrived in Brazil by the time this evening’s ceremony starts. The island’s two show jumpers, Patrick Nesbitt and Jill Terceira, will leave with their horses from Europe on Monday and Bermuda’s sailing team will leave for Rio on Sunday and Monday.

Deb Gravelle from the Bermuda Sailing Association and who is the sailing official for the Games, said yesterday: “Most of the sailors will leave Bermuda on Monday although (Sunfish sailor) Malcolm Smith will leave on Sunday.”

It is Smith who represents Bermuda’s best chance to win a medal. He already has won two silver medals in previous Games and is a multiple World Champion in his class.

Bermuda Olympic Association president John Hoskins, who has been in Rio all week attending Pan Am Congress meetings, said: “Malcolm is a medal contender and we never know with the bowling. They won a medal in the Commonwealth Games (in Malaysia). And of course there is Flora Duffy.”

Of the Games themselves, Hoskins said he has been impressed with the Brazilian hosts. “They have spent a lot of money and have made a very big effort. They are really going to town on it as their long-term plans are to host the Olympics and World Cup.”

While most of the island’s athletes will be forced to wait a number of days before competing, two others will be in action this weekend — triathlete Flora Duffy and equestrian Annabelle Collins.

Collins, who will be competing in the dressage, will ride her 10-year-old German stallion, Medici, on Saturday or Sunday depending on how today’s draw turns out. Duffy will have her race on Sunday.

But there is one thing that all the athletes will be happy about — the new Athletes Village which Mike Collins, Annabelle’s father and the Chef d’Equipe, said “was the best he has ever seen at a major Games”.

Collins and her father Mike were some of the first to arrive in Rio. And they have been very impressed with the preparations and facilities.

Mike Collins said: “The Equestrian Stadium is magnificent and the stabling is brand new — in fact many of the facilities are brand new.”

And Collins was also impressed with the Athletes Village — often a source of controversy at major Games.

He said: “The Athletes Village is very smart. In fact it is probably one of the best I have ever seen. Normally the Athletes Village (at major Games) is used for low cost housing after the Games have finished, but this time it looks as if it will be high cost housing. All the apartments have balconies and there are swimming pools and underground parking. That is something you do not normally see. It is a really nice Village.”

The Village is located in Barra da Tijuca, a fancy neighbourhood. And the Village is also located within a 10 kilometre radius of more than 60 percent of the competition locations.

The apartments have one, two, three or four bedrooms, and even the beds have taken into account the athletes’ height. The restaurant can serve 4,000 people at one sitting and there are also large leisure and entertainment facilities for the athletes.

Collins said that his daughter’s dressage horse arrived safe and sound.

“The horse arrived pretty well and it looks alright. It is not eating as well as we would like at the moment but hopefully that will change.”

But it took a long trip from Europe to get to Rio. He said: “It flew from Frankfurt (Germany) and the plane refuelled in Senegal of all places. Then it flew on to San Paolo and then by road to Rio. In fact the road trip was probably the worst as the transport was not that good. The driver was not familiar with driving horses. By all accounts he thought he was racing a Formula One car!”

Not surprisingly the weather in Rio can be hot. “We try and train in the mornings when it is cool,” said Collins.

The vet check for the dressage horses is today as is the draw to see the order of competition.

“We will not know whether we will be competing on Saturday or Sunday which is when the first tests are spread over. Normally the teams draw their order and then the individuals (like Annabelle) have to configure around the teams. But we are all settled in so now it is off to the races this weekend.”

Show jumper Nesbitt said this week from Europe: “We fly to Rio on Monday. The horses will leave from Luxemburg.”

Nesbitt, who spoke to the Mid-Ocean News this week while on a boat crossing the English Channel following a competition in Belgium, said: “Jill (Terceira) is flying with the horses on the same plane. But so far everything is good. I have been doing a few shows in the build-up to the Games and have had some decent results. We are getting excited — the build-up is amazing. It can be a bit anxious at the moment as we are both hoping our horses stay sound and in good condition.”

Nesbitt’s horse, Antille 8, has never flown before but he was confident that it would not be a problem.

“Horses generally fly quite well . . . but I suppose we will find out,” he said.

Security will be at a premium for the Games in Rio which does have some very bad areas.

The Brazilian army has been training hundreds of police officers from outside the city to act as armed escorts for sports teams and other guests.

Authorities will place a total of 18,000 police officers and security force personnel on patrol in the city to maintain order, with a budget of almost $300 million. The plan to protect participants and spectators is a joint effort of the national and state security departments. Meanwhile, a security crackdown in the shanty towns known as the German complex near Rio’s international airport has been continuing for more than a month after two police officers were killed. Police have maintained a strong presence in the area trying to stop the movement of drugs and weapons, and occasional gun battles have occurred.

Bermuda’s team consists of 20 athletes in eight sports.