players returning from a youth training camp in Brazil.

Devaun DeGraff and Joey Rego had cash they used for the trip returned when they each received cheques for $3,700 at a formal presentation on Tuesday night.

A third player, Damon Ming, was not a beneficiary because he only decided at the last moment to travel to South America.

The trio, each members of the national youth team, were among a party of 35 youngsters from Canada and the United States who attended four weeks of intensive training at the BRUSA course, which ran from July 15 to August 11.

"We are very happy that they went away and did the course, now we are awaiting on the full reports which we will have to send to the International Olympic Association,'' said BOA general secretary John Hoskins.

DeGraff and Rego had applied to the Bermuda Football Association for funding and the BFA subsequently approached the BOA, who, in turn, placed the request into the hands of the international body.

In a rare move, the IOA, through their Solidarity fund, agreed to assist the players.

"They don't usually do it for sending people away on courses like this, but we asked for special consideration. Normally it's done for sending coaches out on courses,'' said Hoskins.

"It's the first time we have done it for soccer players. We have had some Solidarity money for training athletes for the Olympics. We have money for the elite programme, but we certainly don't have money for everybody who wants to go away on courses.'' DeGraff's father, Curtis, who accompanied the players, was happy to see the trip end on such a high note.

"It was a great trip and experience for the trio. Just being in a soccer crazy country like Brazil and learning their way to do things was a tremendous experience for all of us,'' he said.

"We had two age groups camp, under-19 and under-16, and each week we played in different competitions and trained about three times a day with each session seeing various techniques prominent in the country being used.'' According to DeGraff, the players were stunned at their treatment in one particular small town, where the group was given keys to the city and had 3,500 people attend matches.

DeGraff is making early plans to have a larger number of players return next year.