WHILE cricket and football have been bankrolled to the tune of $26 million by Government, some of Bermuda's other sports are feeling left out in the cold. And although Sports Minister Randy Horton said he understands their frustration, he added that Government doesn't have a bottomless pit when it comes to funding for sport.

Horton defended the $11 million given to the Bermuda Cricket Board and the $15 million to the Bermuda Football Association. "They are our national sports," he said.

But some leading figures in Bermuda's other sports are unhappy.

One, who said he did not want to be named as he didn't want his sport to be singled out, said: "I understand that cricket and football are our biggest sports. But they are not our only sports. Many of the men and women who are competing in other sports are coming back to Bermuda with medals from overseas competitions. They have been competing on the world stage and have been proving themselves. But they are severely hampered by the lack of funding. It takes money to train and go away to compete and right now we are doing it on a shoestring. It seems that Government has put all their eggs into one basket and forgotton about us."

Horton said: "I think every sport wants more money and I certainly can appreciate them saying that. But we do not have a bottomless pit. But I really do want to provide more support in other areas. However it makes sense to put money into soccer and cricket as they are our national sports and they are the sports most people are involved in than any other sport in Bermuda. And so we have to start there. As the Minister of Sport I would like to see all sports being (financially) supported to a greater extent ¿ for more development. But there is a limit to the amount of money we can spend."

Bermuda's Peter Shrubb, one of only five umpires in the world chosen to officiate at this year's America's Cup off the coast of Valencia, Spain, said earlier this summer that sailing should be officially made a national sport. "It is about time that sailing received some serious funding like cricket and football," he said. "Just look at the performance our sailors have produced over the years. We have had World Champions and Olympians. It takes a lot of time and money to compete against the best and that is why we need serious funding. We have a new generation coming along and we need some serious funding. We are producing some very good and world class sailors but you need the funding to get better."

And earlier this year former heavyweight boxer and Olympic bronze medallist Clarence Hill moaned about the amount of money given to boxing. He said: "What we need is a proper facility where young kids can go to. Cricket and football got all this money, but what happened to boxing?"

Former cricket chief and now PLP candidate for Warwick, El James, said in April that just by injecting large sums of money into a sport did not guarantee success on the world stage.

James also warned that with Government having invested heavily in both cricket and football, he expected that at some point other associations will also be looking for significant handouts.

James said that rather than dishing out large sums of money, funds would be better spent on an ambitious new proposal that would see all national coaches working directly under the Ministry of Education, Sports and Recreation.

"I don't think Government should continue to throw money at sporting organisations," he said.

"Cricket got $11 million and football received $15 million. But then we have track and field, sailing, swimming, equestrians and golf and so now what happens when they make a request for funding? Do we reject them and say these are the national sports and so they are more deserving?"