A inspirational speech from former basketball superstar Lisa Leslie was the highlight of a successful Women in Sport Expo held at the Fairmont Princess Hotel.

Organised by the Bermuda National Athletics Association (BNAA) and sponsored by Argus, the Expo included enthralling speeches and sports demonstrations throughout Friday and Saturday.

Leslie, a three-time WNBA MVP and a four-time Olympic gold medal winner, made several WNBA All-Star appearances and won two WNBA championships during eleven seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks.

She said: “Not only was it an honour to be invited to this beautiful island, but also to be apart of something that can go a long way in helping women’s sports both here and internationally to be recognised.

“On the outer shell, society sees women as equalist now and we want to continue to breed and instil in women, and in particularly the younger generation that need positive reinforcements early in their lives.”

Also speaking at the inaugural event were Bermudian Olympians Arantxa King (long jump) and Jenaya Wade-Fray (basketball), paralympian Jessica Lewis (sprinter) and USA parathlete Anjali Forber-Pratt.

ESPN’s veteran sports broadcaster Bonnie Bernstein also share her experiences with those who attended the event.

As part of the Expo, a 5K walk and run took place on Saturday which saw Rose-Anna Hoey and Ashley Estwanik cross the line together in a time of 18 minutes, 32 seconds, while Tamika Williams (19:11) came third.

Saturday also saw many health organisations and national sports bodies showcase various activities at the Fairmont Princess.

BNAA president Donna Watson said she was thrilled with the weekend and hoped it could become a biennial event.

“What a fantastic weekend, this event was so much more than I or my committee could have ever imagined,” she said.

“The opening banquet with Lisa Leslie was great. She is a fantastic motivational speaker and she received a standing ovation and left everyone speechless. She is just a great down to earth top international athlete.

“The 5K walk and run and the little girls rock run was well subscribed with over 300 people for the inaugural race. We had all of our overseas guests participate in the event and it was fun for all. The expo was out of this world.

“We had the international speakers and our Bermuda female Olympians perform demonstrations throughout, finishing up with a panel discussion. Then we had around 30 booths set up with people going in and out all day.

“All I can say is that I was truly amazed with the amount of females that supported this event. Everyone kept asking if we will do this again next year but we think we will make it a biennial event.”