Bermuda’s squad for the Pan-Am Games has been announced — and it’s been revealed a rule change in the number of team officials allowed to accompany athletes has threatened to jeopardise the Island’s chances in Brazil.

Organisers have reduced the number of accredited officials each country can to take to 40 percent of their athletes travelling to Rio, which has thrown a potential spanner in the works for Bermuda.

The term “officials” refers to coaches, trainers, horse grooms, vets, and physiotherapists, with the Bermuda Olympic Association having to relocate those over the percentage threshold to hotels outside the Games Village.

John Hoskins, president of the BOA, has admitted the revision of the rules has given them “major difficulties” due to the number of sports in which they are competing.

“Organisers have limited the officials you can take which is fine if you’re competing in a few sports, but Bermuda is in eight and therefore require trainers and coaches in each,” he said.

“Thankfully they have relaxed the ruling a little allowing our three equestrian grooms to be given a reduced accreditation.

“But it’s caused us major difficulties and we’ve had to accommodate some officials outside the Pan-Am Village — it’s a strange situation. “It’s the first time this has happened at a Pan-Am Games, but Rio is an attractive place and the organisers felt they had to limit officials at the Village. Not having all of our officials at the Village can’t help our chances but hopefully it won’t greatly affect them either.”

Michael Cherry, president of the Bermuda Equestrian Federation, said the rule change could pose his team problems as horses required more care than your average athlete.

“We need a large support team and thankfully our grooms have been given a reduced accreditation which does at least allow them into the training areas. “It does hamper us as at the moment our vet’s accreditation doesn’t allow him access to the actual event. He is also showjumper Jill Terceira’s trainer but these things often sort themselves out and we’re very upbeat about our chances.

“Our best medal hope probably lies with Annabelle Collins in the dressage. This will be her biggest competition and her first at an international tournament representing her country.”

Bermuda will be represented by 18 athletes, subject to wildcards, from eight sports at the 2007 Games, which start on July 13.

Athletes from track and field, bowling, cycling, diving, equestrian, sailing, swimming and triathlon will be travelling to ‘The Marvellous City’ for the multi-sport event — which is held every four years.

Newly-crowned national cycling champion Tyler Butterfield will be competing at the Games after qualifying via a wildcard.

There had been no doubts whether the pro cyclist would be able to go to due to the complications surrounding the accreditation changes.

Hoskins has his fingers crossed that Bermuda’s equestrian team can qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, with Pan-Am included as a qualifying meet. He is also predicting good performances from sailor Malcolm Smith and teenage triathlete Flora Duffy.

“Our best chance of medals probably comes in the sailing with Malcolm Smith and triathlon with Flora Duffy,” he said.

“We don’t know what sort of standard the equestrian will be but there’s a good chance we could do well and we’re hoping they can qualify for a place at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

“There’s also the bowling team who have sprung a few surprises in the past so there’s always a medal hope there as well.

“It’s a very good standard of competition and represents an opportunity for Bermuda’s best athletes to test themselves at a high level.

“The only sport that can be bit a weak is track and field as America does not always send its best team due to other competition commitments.”

The only gold medal Bermuda has won at the Games was in equestrian by Mary Jane Tumbridge in 1999 in Winnipeg, Canada. She won the medal in eventing — a discipline no Bermudian athlete had qualified for in Rio.

The Pan-Am Games are a continental version of the Olympic Games and are always conducted one year before the Olympics. The Games were first held in 1951, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This year’s competition, which runs from July 13 to 29, will see 5,500 athletes from 42 countries compete in 33 different sports.