A day in which swimmers were celebrating another three medals at the Caribbean age-group championships was yesterday tempered by news that the Bermuda Olympic Association had turned down an 11th hour plea to send Fahy to Atlanta.

"This is a terrible blow to the whole of the swimming community,'' said Bermuda Amateur Swimming Association president Jim Ferguson, the architect of a last-minute appeal to get the BOA to overlook Fahy's near-miss at reaching the Olympic qualifing standard for the 100-metre butterfly.

But Fahy, in Puerto Rico along with the rest of the Bermuda team, will still be going to the Games after his parents purchased an extra ticket for him to attend with them.

The 18-year-old clocked a time of 57.77 seconds last month at a meet in Florida, just 45/100ths of a second slower that demanded by the international swimming federation.

But FINA also allows a nation which has no swimmers entered, to send "one man and one woman, regardless of time standard'' so long as he is authorised by that country's Olympic association. Late Wednesday night, a five-person BOA executive committee unanimously decided against it.

Ferguson said the BOA decision to hold Fahy to the letter of the law -- despite a series of extenuating circumstances -- runs contrary to the spirt of the Olympics.

"We (BASA) look at every way possible to include athletes on our overseas trips,'' he said. "I would've thought the Olympic Association would be looking for reasons for an athlete to go, not reasons for him not to.'' BOA president Austin Woods said yesterday the decision was made "in order to be fair to all other athletes who didn't meet standards.'' "He had 12 months to achieve the standard and didn't make it,'' and to still send Fahy would "open the door for others'' to demand similar consideration, Woods said.

Woods said this was consistent with others the BOA has made in the past in which athletes either failed to meet standards or were unable to maintain them.

BASA offered to cover Fahy's expenses but Woods said money was not a factor.

Speaking from Puerto Rico, national team coach Gareth Davies said he was "extremely disappointed that Olympic Association didn't see fit to include a person who epitomises the sort of dedication and ability that an entire country could be proud of.'' Barring "something miraculous'' before Sunday, a team of nine athletes will head to Atlanta, Woods said.

In Puerto Rico, meanwhile, Chris King won a gold medal, Alicia Mullan a silver and Trevor Ferguson a bronze at the Caribbean championships.

King bettered the Caribbean record by seven seconds in posting a time of 2:44.36 in the 200m breaststroke for 11-12 year-old boys. Mullan was second in the girls 18-21 400m individual medley (5:34.74) while Ferguson was third in the 18-21 boys 200m freestyle (2:06.07). Stephen Troake finished fourth in two events, 45 minutes apart.

OLYMPICS OLY