Dame Denise Lewis stands down as UK Athletics president after just two months amid BBC Sport pundit row
DAME Denise Lewis has “temporarily” stood down as president of UK Athletics after just two months in the role.
The former Olympic gold medal heptathlon winner landed the gig in December.
But concerns over integrity were raised after she also decided to continue working as an athletics pundit for BBC Sport.
And Lewis confirmed on Instagram Stories that she was “temporarily” leaving her UK Athletics role.
She said: “I’ve had to make the difficult decision to temporarily step away from my role as UKA president – with the upcoming Olympics and a hectic summer ahead.
“I would only want to accept the role when it can have my full attention.”
The Times reported this week there were concerns that Lewis’ integrity “could be compromised” due to her duel role at UK Athletics and the BBC.
Lewis had apparently been accredited for next week’s World Indoor Championships in Glasgow.
The BBC refused to confirm whether or not she will be appearing on screens for the event.
And they did not respond after being asked whether her UK Athletics presidency would compromise her integrity as a pundit either.
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Lewis’ representatives at M&C Saatchi Merlin also declined to respond on her potential studio appearance in Glasgow.
Lewis was elected UK Athletics president after the organisation announced annual losses of £3.7million last year.
There has been a big decline in revenue from sponsors and organisations — including the BBC.
Lewis’ announcement that she is “temporarily” stepping down follows Dame Katherine Grainger’s decision before the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
She was chairman of UK Sport at the time but temporarily stepped away to work as a BBC commentator for rowing.
Lewis’ gold Olympics medal came at the Sydney 200 Games.
Four years earlier, she bagged bronze in Atlanta.
Lewis was also a gold medallist at the 1998 European Championships.
And she twice bagged silver at the World Championships in 1997 and 1999 before retiring in 2005.