GB track & field team to miss out

Wednesday, 20 July 2011 13:02

Written by Editor

Great Britain's track and field team will not be allowed to attend the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics. The London Games will open on Friday, 27th July, a week before the athletics event begins on 3rd August. UK Athletics head coach Charles van Commenee said: "It doesn't fit in the professional preparation for the biggest event of your life. In the end we are all aware that performance is number one. They can do the closing ceremonies."

The Dutchman believes that if athletes were forced to stand for long periods during the ceremony it may be detrimental to their chances of success, while some will still be at training camps at the time of the curtain raiser.
"They would not go shopping for eight hours before their biggest event so why would you be on your feet for that long?" he added.