Bermuda Track and Field Association (BTFA) have been complimented by both sides of the parliamentary divide for their superb execution of last weekend?s Carifta Games.

Sports Minister Dale Butler yesterday saluted athletics? national governing body on a smooth and efficiently-run meet.

The annual junior athletics showpiece for regional countries, hosted by Bermuda for the first time since 1980, came with an estimated price tag of $700,000 ? much of which was absorbed by Government ? but Butler was more than pleased with the outcome.

?The expectations I had of the BTFA were met. I felt they were more than capable of completing all of the tasks. That was at the centre of our ministry?s support for them and they proved their competence,? said Butler, adding that visitors and Bermudians alike left the National Sports Centre ?on a high? after three great days of competition.

?Officials from the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) and elsewhere were overwhelmed by what they saw here.

?I asked some of them and many others told me and I think they were genuine in their comments . . . Government bent over backwards to ensure we had a first-class Games which all our visitors and Bermudians enjoyed,? noted the minister, pointing out that Carifta naysayers had been proven wrong.

Butler?s opposite number, Jon Brunson, joined in applauding the BTFA?s Carifta Games success.

?The BTFA did an excellent job in organising Carifta. I think the event went off without a hitch and they need to be congratulated for that. (BTFA president) Judy (Simmons) deserves all the credit.

?The visiting officials from the IAAF and other countries appreciated the amount of effort that the BTFA put into making it a successful event. They enjoyed it,? said the Shadow Minister of Sports.

However, both parliamentarians regretted the 22-member Bermudian contingent which reaped nine medals at the Games was not as strong as it could have been.

Saying he and the BTFA ?didn?t see eye-to-eye on everything? Carifta-wise, Butler expressed disappointment that no compromise could be found to allow other athletes to represent the Island, although the BTFA prevailed in their controversy with Mid-Island Striders club. Athletes from the latter were barred from competing after failing to join the national training programme by last December 15.

?We are all concerned that we could not ? even after mediation, arbitration and looking at what the BTFA?s rules were ? reach a degree of compromise.

?That really grieves me. It grieved me during the whole time but I had to continue to work quietly in the background . . . at the end of the day I didn?t win that battle,? said Butler, adding there will be a post mortem to assess the entire Carifta operation.

Brunson rued the country?s ?missed opportunity? to present the full force of its athletics arsenal on home soil.

?The other athletes (who were excluded) were missed . . . It?s not only the Mid-Island Striders but opportunities like Inter-Schools Sports were excluded (as part of the selection process) even though there were athletes who could have potentially qualified for Carifta.?

Disclosing he spoke with other delegations to determine their manner of selection, he said what he was told differs greatly from what obtains here.

?Their philosophy was that they wanted to have the best team they could possibly field. They waited until the last minute (to choose their teams) and they used their inter-schools sports as a forum to choose their teams.

?I think the BTFA are going to have to step back and re-evaluate the selection process and criteria because, at the end of the day, I don?t feel the best team was presented and the process isn?t totally inclusive,? reasoned the shadow minister, cautioning the public not to confuse the BTFA?s organisation of Carifta with the selection process for Bermuda?s team. ?They are two very different issues,? he stressed.

While expressing respect for the arbitration panel?s decision favouring the BTFA, Brunson lamented that the national sport?s governing body did not consider the bigger picture.

?The BTFA had an opportunity to create a win-win situation and chose not to. What I mean by that is that the arbitration board ruled in favour of the BTFA and the BTFA said they felt vindicated.

?That was a perfect opportunity for them to say ?They decided we were right but we recognise that in the best interest of track and field, our athletes and Bermuda and in an effort to promote national pride, we are going to include those (other) athletes in the team? and they didn?t do it.

?That?s how I feel. It?s nothing personal. It?s just what I see and I hope this kind of issue can be avoided in the future.?

Brunson said he was not putting the responsibility solely on the BTFA?s shoulders and that Mid-Island Striders must accept some blame as ?decisions were made which may not have been in their athletes? best interests?.

He also felt Butler could have played a more proactive role in resolving the impasse rather than maintaining his ?there?s nothing I can do? policy until very late.

?All the reconciliation steps happened at the eleventh hour,? the shadow minister contended.

Nonetheless, he thanked the Sports Minister for disregarding politics and including him in the mediations when they did occur.

Brunson explained that he opted to hold his tongue on all Carifta matters prior to the Games because he feared further negative impact on such an important occasion.

?I made a conscious decision not to detract from the event and I decided not to speak out publicly (at that time).

?The statement I was making by not being (quoted) in the media was that the organisation, the event and Bermuda?s reputation were greater than this dispute.?