Bermudian-born swimming star Lisa Blackburn has had her dream of representing the Island in next year's Commonwealth Games crushed by the sport's international governing body.

The 26-year-old, who has lived primarily in Canada for the past 22 years, and represented them at under-23 level, was told that in order to qualify she would have to reside in Bermuda for a minimum of 12 months after officially changing her affiliation.

And the ruling came through too late for her to do so.

The news comes as a blow to both Blackburn, who holds dual citizenship and regularly visits the Island, and the Bermuda Amateur Swimming Association, who had asked FINA, the sport's Swiss-based governing body, to clarify the situation after the swimmer had raised the possibility during her record-breaking appearances in last summer's Harbour Open Championships.

Then, over a period of three August days, she set or reset a total of 11 national records -- among them the 100m backstroke, in which she knocked two and a half seconds off Tiffany Gosling's 1992 finish, and the 200m individual medley where she beat Bermudian Olympian Jenny Smatt's mark by seven hundredths of a second.

A disappointed BASA president Jim Ferguson said: "She has been informed by us that she's not eligible to swim for Bermuda. We were hoping she'd be able to represent us and we'd have been proud to have her -- she's a very talented swimmer. The fact that she's spent most of her swimming years overseas doesn't take away from the fact that she's Bermudian.

"But it's the way FINA operate and our hands are tied.'' The decision could rule out any hopes of Blackburn appearing in the pool at all in Malaysia next September. Tiring of the endless training, she abruptly dropped out of the sport for a couple of years in 1994.

Although she has now re-signed for Canada, who have backed her career financially, she has yet to represent the country at full level, despite finishing fourth and sixth respectively in the 100m and 200m breaststroke at the last national championships in Alberta.

"It would be a long shot,'' admitted Ferguson, "though I don't know what her recent times have been. She would have to be at quite a lofty level when you consider how strong the Canadians are.'' The ruling could also scupper any visions Blackburn, who last year graduated from the University of Ottawa and now coaches swimmers at the Nepan Kanata Barracudas, has of representing Bermuda in the longer-term, specifically in the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

"I'd really doubt very much if she could,'' said Ferguson. "I think her life right now is in Canada. I'm not sure what her marital situation is, but it would be a huge decision for her to move back here at her particular age with regard to employment and such things.'' Lisa Blackburn