• Commonwealth Games

Hoy backed in Commonwealth withdrawal

ESPN staff
July 17, 2010
Sir Chris Hoy is chasing Olympic qualification points © Getty Images
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Sir Chris Hoy's decision to withdraw from the Commonwealth Games has been backed by British cycling performance director Dave Brailsford.

Hoy has declined the chance to compete in Delhi, instead making the European Championships his priority in order to accumulate qualification points for the London 2012 Olympics. The four-time Olympic champion is not the first big-name British athlete to pull out of the October event, after Jessica Ennis recently announced her intentions to prioritise the Europeans.

Brailsford believes British fans should expect more of their top athletes to withdraw, with the likes of Victoria Pendleton yet to confirm her participation.

"I don't think we should make one generalisation," said Brailsford. "But certainly I don't think you'll see all of our top track athletes going. I think quite a few of them look at Chris' decision - there's a logic behind the decision.

"We'll support any athlete who wants to prioritise the Europeans over the Commonwealth Games. Chris made the decision backed by us. For Chris his whole career is based around the Olympics so it makes sense that he focuses on Olympic point-scoring events.

"We supported him because the priority is the Olympic Games in London. The sooner you can qualify the better. If we can get some early points on the board, we'll go for it.

"The harsh reality is that if you had to sit down and make a decision between Olympic points and Commonwealth Games, we would always go for Olympic points. That's the dilemma we find ourselves in at the moment.

"Unfortunately I think Chris won't be alone."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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