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Bermuda can cut more than ten per cent from its sports budget and still fund a raft of new projects - including an Olympic swimming pool, a multi-purpose sports centre and new drug-testing infrastructure, claims Sports Minister El James.

All Government departments have been asked to slash millions of dollars of initiatives amid a global economic crisis.

But sports minister El James claims that he will be able to make the cuts by "playing like a hustler" and moving his money around instead of shelving plans to upgrade Bermuda's sporting programmes.

James, who announced a scheme for a West End sports centre at White Hill Field last week and will unveil fresh plans for a 50m swimming pool at the National Centre on Monday, insisted he could make the required cuts without compromising those proposals

The minister has already suggested more funding for the Elite Athletes Programme and requested a potentially costly action plan for Track and Field as Bermuda looks to improve its Olympic prospects for London 2012.

And with new international drug protocols compelling his department to direct funds towards increased testing, questions had been raised about how Government could possibly balance the books.

"We have a few things in the pipeline - the 50 metre pool, White Hill and a few others which we'll announce in the next few weeks.

"Even though we are in an economic recession...and we have cut backs that we have to make, we don't want the youth to be forgotten. We realize that they'll need our help even more."

James was vague about where the cuts would come saying simply, "we just have to make better use of the money that we do have."

He hinted that some cash could be directed from football and cricket's large annual grants to pay for the developments at White Hill Field.

"We've talked to football and cricket and they get a huge grant so we have to make better, wiser use of our funds.

"We have to cut back on 10 per cent of our budget and cricket and football is in that budget.

"It may not be a cutback, but it may be that we decide to allocate some of those funds somewhere else."

But he said the bulk of the cuts would come simply from sensible financial management.

"We've been through the budget already and we've cut back 10 per cent. Then we have to play like a real shark, hustler and shuffle your money about. We have reallocated some funds."

The wider implications of the financial crisis could be felt across the sporting spectrum. It's not only Government that has to cut its budget and corporate sponsors have indicated that the well of funding that keeps some of Bermuda's biggest events afloat could be about to run dry.

XL already pulled its sponsorship of the Coral Beach pro tennis tournament putting the future of that event in doubt.

And squash, which hosted the World Championships and PSA Masters, both heavily reliant on corporate sponsors in the last three years, has no plans to bring another international tournament to the island for 2009.

Meanwhile David Lang, director of the Bank of Bermuda Foundation, warned the atmosphere among the philanthrophic community was one of caution.

"This is an environment that is different from anything we've had in our lifetimes," he added.[[In-content Ad]]

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