Olympic and Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Sir Chris Hoy, has today confirmed to Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) that he is no longer available for selection for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in October.

Whilst he had originally planned to take part, a late clash of events with the new European Championships means that he is now required by British Cycling to compete as part of the Great Britain Sprint Team, in order to qualify for the Olympic Games in London 2012.

Commenting on the news, Michael Cavanagh, Chairman of CGS said: “First and foremost we are bitterly disappointed for Chris himself. He is a fantastic supporter of Team Scotland, competing and winning medals in three Commonwealth Games and he is an inspirational ambassador for Scottish sport. Nobody will be more disappointed than him, not to be in Delhi wearing the Scottish jersey.

“He has been placed in a no win situation by the UCI and British Cycling with their late decision and we fully appreciate that he must meet his Olympic qualification obligations. His passion, attitude and commitment on and off the bike has already stimulated a new generation of Scottish cyclists coming through for Delhi and beyond. We wish him well and hope he is able to achieve his ambition of finishing his career representing Scotland in Glasgow in 2014.

“The pressures on athletes competing at the highest level are immense and you can never take it for granted that people will be available or that they will win medals on demand. Despite Chris’s omission we are confident that we will have a strong committed team in Delhi and it now creates an opportunity for other cyclists to step up to the challenge of emulating their hero.”