Good for Usain Bolt.
New regulations mean the 23-year-old Jamaican could lose more money than he would earn from competing at the Crystal Palace Diamond League event.
“I am definitely not going to run [in London],” Bolt told a news conference.
Crystal Palace organisers had hoped to stage a three-way showdown between Bolt and his sprint rivals Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay.
Athletes competing in the UK are liable for a 50% tax rate on their appearance fee as well as a proportion of their total worldwide earnings – which for Bolt, who earns millions from endorsements, could be hugely costly.
More of this, please. The more high-profile people complaining about tax, the better. However:
The Government has since agreed to waive the rule so London can host the 2011 final, and competitors in the 2012 Olympics are also exempt.
What scoundrels. They’ll steal your money unless it suits them for you to appear in their showboating extravaganza, at which they’ll boast about how *they* made it all possible. When will people realise that governments do not make things possible, they only get in the way? Athletes of the world, unite! Boycott the UK Olympics! Have some principles! It’ll never happen…