Greg Henderson withdraws from the Games
Greg Henderson has become the fifth member of British-based Team Sky to announce his withdrawal from the New Delhi Commonwealth Games, following Sky teammates Peter Kennaugh of the Isle of Man, Gerraint Thomas of Wales and Ian Stannard and Ben Swift, both
of England. The rider will be leaving the New Zealand team one man short.
“It's about my family. I've got to think about my wife (former Australian cyclist Katie Mactier) and little girl Charlie,” said Henderson in a statement. “They don't want me going to the Commonwealth Games.”
The riders reached the decision after an overwhelming string of safety and infrastructure issues arose in New Delhi, India, sparking widespread criticism. Most recently, a series of photos was released by the BBC on Thursday, corroborating the reports of
‘unsanitary’ and ‘unlivable’ conditions in the athlete’s village and quarters.
“I have seen those and heard a few stories,” said Henderson. “It was a combination of those photos and sitting down with Katie that really made my final decision.”
Henderson has a record of one gold and three bronze medals at the Commonwealth Games, which are held every four years. He would have entered the competition in good form after his podium finish at last week’s Tour of Britain, where he won the points classification
overall. Team Sky finished second overall in the team classification.
“These situations are down to the choice of the athletes themselves,” said Sky principal Dave Brailsford of the athlete's withdrawal. “We at Team Sky can make recommendations to the athletes, but the ultimate decision lies with them.” Henderson’s Team Sky
squad for the Tour of Britian also included Welshman Gerraint Thomas, who has already abandoned the Games, and Australian Mathew Hayman, who is close to becoming the sixth member of the team to cancel his trip to India.
"At this stage I haven't withdrawn, but I've got some concerns about going," said Hayman to the
Sydney Morning Herald on Friday. "I was reading things about extra security and talk about sniper helicopters, but it's not really the place you want to be. Hiding in buses and getting to and from a race like that doesn't sound like fun.”
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