Bermuda's karate team follow in the footsteps of water skier Kent Richardson today when they represent the Island for the first time at a major Games.

But with little known about the contestants from 14 countries who will gather at the Cenard multi sports stadium in Buenos Aires, few are predicting who will be the medal favourites.

Richardson made his mark by merely strapping on his skis yesterday, as the sport celebrated its inclusion in the Pan-Ams as a medal sport for the first time.

However, last night full results on the afternoon's slalom elimination being held on Rio Parana in Santa Fe, north of Buenos Aires, were still unavailable.

Carl Roberge, America's nine-time Open and five-time Slalom champion, led the way with 56 points, followed by Canada's former world champ Kreg Llewellyn (52) and Argentina's Jorge Renosto (50). But with communication between the various venues still proving a major headache, there was no word on how the Bermudian fared.

Meanwhile, Bermuda's chef de mission Mike Cherry, who won't get to meet Richardson during these Games because of the vast distance between Mar del Plata and Santa Fe, did leave the Games Village yesterday to fly to Buenos Aires where the karate team were finalising their preparations.

Reduced to a squad of four following the withdrawal of world champion Gladwin (Roots) Phillips, who protested the selection procedure, Bermuda will compete in the kata and kumite disciplines.

And the entry list, finally published by organisers yesterday, suggested that competition would be intense in both.

Today's programme begins with men's individual kata in which Bermuda's Bobby Smith faces opponents from 14 nations, including America's seven-time national champion Ferdie Allas.

Kata is a system of pre-arranged movements, where the emphasis is on controlled patterns of exercise designed to teach the fundamentals of attack and defence.

Unlike kumite, kata contestants are judged -- much like gymnasts and ice skaters -- on a combination of required movements, with points awarded on a scale of 0-10 by a panel of judges.

This morning's elimination series will be followed immediately by the final.

Bermuda's kumite team of Eugene Ford, Nigel Williams and Smith also see action this morning after being drawn against Colombia in the first round. Should they survive that battle, a match against Argentina awaits in the second round.

Bermuda's fourth team member, Roger Trimm, will only compete in the individual kumite tomorrow.

A kumite bout normally lasts between two to three minutes with scores awarded according to technique and effectiveness of attack.

Points can be scored with an accepted thrust, smash, or kick to the head, face, neck, chest, abdomen or back. The winner is the first to score "sanbon'' (the equivalent of three "ippon'') although if neither contestant has scored sanbon by the end of the bout, the competitor ahead on points is declared the winner.

The draw for tomorrow's individual kumite appears to have done Bermuda no favours.

In the Open division, Trimm finds himself matched in the first round against Japanese-born American Hiroshi Allen who in 1992 and 1993 was the AAU karate heavyweight national champion.

Williams, fighting in the 66-72 kilogramme division, faces Peru's Javier Strohmeier, and Ford, in the 72-80 kg class goes against Puerto Rico's Miguel Berrios Colon.

Should Ford win that bout, his second round contest would be against the USA's Tommy Hood jr., last year's national champion and the 1994 Pan-American Championship gold medallist.