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Athletics Australia has suspended its British head coach Eric Hollingsworth after his outspoken attack on Olympic sprint hurdles champion Sally Pearson ahead of her Commonwealth Games title defence.
Hollingsworth labelled Pearson a "bad example", highlighting his anger that she did not attend the team's pre-Games training camp.
The 27-year-old athlete has arrived in Glasgow as the undoubted star of the Australia track and field team and looking to retain the 100 metres hurdles title she won in Delhi four years ago.
She was named athletics team captain for the Games, during which reports have emerged about her relationship with Hollingsworth breaking down.
Former decathlete Hollingsworth, who joined Athletics Australia in 2009, said in a statement on Wednesday: "Sally was coming (to the training camp) all along until the last minute when she opted to take a race in London.
"What's lost here is she's the team captain and there's a reasonable expectation she'd be in the camp ahead of something as major as the Commonwealth Games. Her no-show sets a bad example to the entire national team."
Show all 61 1 /61Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day 11 (L-R) Peter Barker and Alison Waters of England (silver) David Palmer and Rachael Grinham of Australia (gold) after the mixed doubles squash final
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day 11 Geraint Thomas, of Wales, celebrates winning road race gold
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day 11 Husband-and-wife team, Gabby and Chris Adcocks celebrate their gold triumph in the badminton
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day 11 Jamaica defeated England 52-48 in the bronze medal netball match
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day 10 Usain Bolt and his Jamaica team-mates celebrate their 4x100m victory
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day 10 Nicola Adams kisses her Commonwealth Games gold medal
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day 10 Street fighters (from left to right) England’s Alex Dowsett, Manxman Peter Kennaugh and veteran Scot David Millar will do battle around Glasgow’s roads
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day 10 Australia players raise their arms in delight as another goal puts the match beyond England and a place in the final is secured
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day 10 Max Whitlock reached new heights at the Commonwealth Games and now turns his attentions to Nanning in October
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day 10 Nicola Adams celebrates winning gold after beating Michaela Walsh of Northern Ireland
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day 10 Amantle Montsho (R) of Botswana failed a drugs test after the women's 400m final
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day 10 Helen Housby of England is dejected after New Zealand defeated England in the netball semi final
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Nine Christine Ohuruogu leads the field for England’s women in the 4x400m heats
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Nine Jamaica’s Usain Bolt takes the baton in the 4x100m men's heats
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Nine Usain Bolt of Jamaica smiles and shakes hands with a competitor after Jamaica won their first heat in the men's 4x100m relay
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Nine Scotland’s Lynsey Sharp celebrates after winning a silver medal in the 800m at Hampden Park
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Nine England goalkeeper Maddie Hinch is mobbed after her shoot-out heroics in England's semi-final win
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Nine Belfast’s Michael Conlan fights on despite suffering a nasty cut to his face against Wales’ Sean McGoldrick in their bantamweight semi-final in Glasgow
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Nine Claudia Fragapane on her way to an impressive gymnastics gold in the floor yesterday
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Eight England's Emma Pooley won silver in the women's time trial
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Seven Claudia Fragapane of England poses on the podium with Ruby Harrold and Hannah Whelan of England after winning the Women's All-Around Final
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Seven England’s Nicola Adams (left) dominates Erandi de Silva, of Sri Lanka, to guarantee herself a bronze medal at the very least
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Seven Dai Greene failed to make the 400m hurdles final after a troubled build-up
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Seven England’s Alex Danson (right) opened the scoring in England's victory over Scotland in the hockey
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Seven England’s Greg Rutherford leaps into the air as he captures the gold medal in the long jump competition inside Hampden Park
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Seven England’s Jess Taylor clinched the bronze medal in the women's javelin
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Seven Max Whitlock competes on the pommel horse on his way to gold
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Six Three of England’s 4x100m relay medley quartet, Chris-Walker Hebborn, Adam Barrett and Adam Peaty, celebrate their success
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Six Wales’ Georgia Davies wins gold in the 50m backstroke
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Six The women’s England squad – Hannah Whelan, Ruby Harold, Rebecca Downie, Kelly Simm and Claudia Fragapane – celebrate with their gold medals
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Six Louis Smith won gold in the parallel bars
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Five Nicola Adams lands a left jab on Nigeria's Oluwatoyin Oladeji
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Five Kemar Bailey-Cole shades Adam Gemili in the 100m final as the Englishman secures a famous silver medal
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Five Blessing Okagbare takes the women’s 100m, holding off Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Five Sophie Hitchon shows her bronze for the hammer
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Five Paul Foster (left) and Alex Marshall with their gold medals after the men’s lawn bowls pairs final at Kelvingrove
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Five Nick Matthew, below centre, goes all out to beat James Willstrop for gold
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Five Sophie Taylor, right, embraces Australia’s Lorna Tonks on the podium after the Englishwoman won a surprise gold in the 100m breaststroke
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Five Jazz Carlin looks simply delighted after her win in the 800m freestyle final
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Four Cecil Afrika, of South Africa, goes over for a try during the Rugby Sevens tournament as they defeated New Zealand in the final
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Four 13-year-old Erraid Davies has been told she should target the Paralympics in Rio after winning the bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Four In one of the more lighthearted moments of the Games, a young marathon fan faceplanted in front of millions of viewers when he tried to keep up with Kenyan runners at the Commonwealth Games marathon.
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Foiur Laura Trott could not say her Olympic gold medals in London meant any more than this one cleaved from Glasgow. Just 48 hours earlier she was under the care of an emergency doctor, floored by a kidney infection.
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Four Michael Shelley of Australia celebrates as he crosses the line to win the Men's Marathon
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Three Usain Bolt confirms he will run in both the heats and the finals of the men's relay at the Commonwealth Games
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Three Tim Mikkleson of New Zealand falls on the loose ball in the Rugby Sevens match between New Zealand and Scotland
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Three Francesca Jones of Wales reacts after an enquiry was rejected resulting in her winning gold in the Gymnastics Rythmic Ribbon Final
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Three Alistair Brownlee approaches the finishing line to win the mixed triathlon for England
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Three Joanna Harten bursts into tears after England go down 49-48 in the netball
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Three Silver medallist Francesca Jones (L) of Wales embraces bronze medallist Laura Halford (R)
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Two Daniel Wallace celebrates winning gold in the men's 400m individual medley
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Two England's bronze medalist Daniel Rivers during the final of the 10m Air Rifle Men
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Two Scotland players celebrates a goal during the Womens Hockey match between Scotland and Malaysia at Glasgow National Hockey Centre
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Two Silver medalists Jason Niblett and Kieran Modra of Australia on the podium during the medal ceremony for the Mens 1000m Time Trial B2 Tandem finalat Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Two Amber Hill of England competes in the skeet qualification at Barry Buddon Shooting Centre
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day Two Joanna Rowsell of England celebrates winning gold after the Women's 3000 metres Individual Pursuit final at Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day One Steven Burke, Ed Clancy, Andy Tennant and Bradley Wiggins of England compete in Mens 4000 metres Team Pursuit qualification
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day One Jodie Stimpson crosses the finishing line to win gold in the women's triathlon
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day One Jodie Stimpson of England during the triathlon
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day One England's Jason Kenny finished 11th in the men's sprint qualifying
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Commonwealth Games 2014 - In pictures Day One Hannah Miley of England competes in the Women's 400m Individual Medley heat during the 2014 Commonwealth Games
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Hollingsworth, 51, circumvented his employers to release the statement. Before imposing the suspension, Hollingsworth's bosses said his thoughts should "in no way should it be read as the opinion of Athletics Australia".
Announcing his suspension in an official statement, Athletics Australia stated: "Athletics Australia is bitterly disappointed that Eric Hollingsworth has chosen to make a statement to the media at a time when our focus as a group should be wholly on supporting our athletes' performances.
"He acted without the authority of Athletics Australia and in contravention of the specific instructions of the chief executive officer.
"Athletics Australia condemns in the strongest terms his disparaging comments about Sally Pearson and his timing.
"We have therefore suspended Eric Hollingsworth as an employee of Athletics Australia until such time as the Athletics Australia board can convene to consider the matter.
"Action in regards to Eric Hollingsworth's role on the Commonwealth Games team will be determined by the Australian Commonwealth Games Association, as the body responsible for the team."
Pearson races in the third and final heat of the 100m hurdles on Thursday evening. The final takes place on Friday night and she is expected to battle for the gold with England's Tiffany Porter.
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