Top local cyclist Lynn Patchett is refusing to abandon her hopes of representing Bermuda at the Commonwealth Games ? despite a rule change which casts serious doubt on the involvement of all non-Bermudian athletes.

The Canadian national is one of five foreign-born individuals on the Island to reach the qualifying standard in the last few months.

And like the other four, she was completely unaware until late December that the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) had amended the eligibility rule as far back as 2003.

At a meeting of the CGF general assembly in Jamaica, all 71 member countries agreed that expats should not be allowed to appear in the colours of their adopted homes, aside from some ?exceptional? cases.

The Bermuda Olympic Association (BOA) were well aware of this new rule, but president John Hoskins has admitted that his organisation failed to relay the news to the athletes affected.

Patchett told yesterday that she was disappointed by this communication breakdown but would continue her training schedule for the Games until the outcome of the BOA?s upcoming appeal has been made known.

Hoskins is convinced he will be able to persuade the CGF to waive the rule for some of the competitors concerned.

Patchett endured mudslides, volcanic eruptions, monsoon rains and a state of national emergency in El Salvador last October to finish in the top 25 percent of the field at the Vuelta Ciclista Femenina ? thereby securing the requisite standard to compete in Melbourne.

?Until I know for sure, the only option I have is to keep going,? said Patchett, who is a citizen of both Canada and Britain.

?I have been committed all along to representing Bermuda at the Games but obviously this is now all up in the air. We were not told about the rule change by either the BOA or our associations ? the only information we were given was the qualifying standards and we just got on with trying to reach them. I don?t want to comment too much on the whole issue, but it certainly is disappointing because if I had known earlier that I would not have been able to represent Bermuda I would have tried to get on either the Canadian or the British team.?

Meanwhile, Patchett has decided not to enter this weekend?s Fairmont to Fairmont road race, neither has she put her name forward for the 10K or Half marathon of International Race Weekend.

There is, she said, an outside chance that she will take a leisurely jog around the 10K circuit on a non-competitive basis, but her primary focus remains on the bike and her Commonwealth Games aspirations.

Patchett triumphed in the Fairmont race last year for the first time while she was also the top female local runner in the 10K.

She admitted to being disheartened by the low number of entries for Race Weekend this year ? 539 compared to 1,203 in 2005 ? which used to be a true jewel of the Island?s annual sporting calendar.

?I am a huge fan of that weekend having competed in it for a long time,? she said.

?I?m obviously a little worried about the fact that its popularity seems to be declining and I?m going to do all that I can to support it and make it a great event once again.?