Dame Denise Lewis has decided to “temporarily” resign from her position as president of UK Athletics, just two months after her election.
The former Olympic heptathlon champion was elected to succeed ex-sprinter Jason Gardener in December.
Nevertheless, at 51 years old, Lewis has made the “difficult decision” to temporarily step away due to the upcoming Olympics and a busy summer ahead.
“I would only want to accept the role when it can have my full attention,” Lewis posted on Instagram on Tuesday.
Since retiring from athletics in 2005, Lewis has pursued a career as a pundit and television presenter.
She is slated to serve as a pundit for the BBC during the World Indoor Athletics Championships, commencing in Glasgow on Friday.
Questions have arisen regarding her roles with both UK Athletics and the BBC, with concerns raised externally about potential conflicts of interest due to her involvement in the sport and her position as a prominent figure in its media coverage.
While the BBC refrains from commenting on individual contracts, the corporation’s guidelines emphasize that editorial decisions should remain uninfluenced by external interests.
Lewis’s athletic achievements include winning gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, preceded by a bronze in Atlanta four years earlier. Additionally, she secured two Commonwealth gold medals, a European gold, and two world silver medals, earning induction into the England Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011.
In recognition of her contributions as president of Commonwealth Games England and her services to sport, she was honored with a damehood in the New Year Honours.