James Collieson's tennis career has received a boost in the shape of financial support from Bermuda Olympic Association.

The BOA have given the Bermuda Davis Cup player a place on the Elite Athlete Programme as a B category competitor.

When Collieson competes in future tournaments overseas, the association will pay for his air fares and tournament entry fees as well as provide a limited daily expenses allowance.

Collieson, who is away in England, celebrated the news of his BOA sponsorship in appropriate style - by winning his first round match at the Hampstead Futures Tournament in London.

He fought back from a set down to defeat South African George Buckman 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.

The tournament is the first stage of Collieson's European summer campaign, with a tournament in Poland next on the agenda.

The BOA see Collieson as a potential competitor in the Pan Am Games and he is also keen to represent Bermuda at the Central American and Caribbean Games in El Salvador in November next year.

Collieson has played several tournaments on the Futures Tour in the US and Canada this year and played for Bermuda in the Davis Cup Americas Group Three in Cuba.

He also became the first Bermudian to play in the main singles draw of the XL Capital Bermuda Open at Coral Beach in April, after he was granted a wild card by organisers.

Tournaments abroad represent Collieson's one chance to keep improving and the BOA support will help the University of North Carolina student to enter more of them.

John Hoskins, president of the BOA, said: "James is performing at a pretty high level and we think that he could do well at the CAC Games."

Others applications for elite athlete status were being considered, Hoskins added.

"We are into a new four-year cycle," he said. "We are at the first stages of our Olympiad and we are reassessing all people on the programme.

"Not all of the sporting associations have contacted us and more people will come forward yet."

Collieson's successful application came about thanks to the efforts of Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association, whose treasurer Sarah Cook prepared the information and results that the BOA needed to know.

BLTA president David Lambert was delighted with the boost for Collieson.

"This is great news," said Lambert. "As soon as James gets back from Europe, we will be sitting down with him to structure a schedule of tournaments for him to submit to the BOA.

"We are very pleased that James is now sponsored and we are hoping he competes well in the CAC Games and then maybe the Olympics."

Lambert added that the BLTA had campaigned for the sponsorship, having acted on the advice of the International Tennis Federation's regional development officer, Gustavo Granitto.

"We have been working on James' behalf for several months," said Lambert. "Our officers met with Gustavo and we asked if he could direct us as to how we could acquire funding for James.

"Then we established contact with the BOA and because of the continued dialogue, James has been classified as a B category elite athlete."