UPSET Sophie Unwin has received an apology for the distress caused by her ‘ghost bronze’ race.
But the English para-cyclist and pilot Georgia Hall is… PAID for their podium protest by game leaders.
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Visually handicapped rider Unwin, 28, thought she won a Commonwealth gong at the London Velodrome on Friday.
They defeated former Scotland Paralympic runner Libby Clegg and pilot Jenny Holl over three races to Finish third in the Women’s Tandem Sprint B.
But according to the competition rules, gold and silver are only awarded if four teams are involved.
The organizers claim that they are Unwin . have told BEFORE her bronze medal race that there would be no silverware for her efforts.
The pair – who broke down in tears after the race – tried to stand behind the podium ceremony with an English flag before being moved by a member of security staff.
They later borrowed bronze medals from the women’s team pursuit for their own unofficial podium photo shoot.
The commonwealth games Federation says there will be no change in the decision and the two English stars will have to pay a fine of £172.
A CGF spokesperson said: “In the small number of cases where there are fewer than five entries for a Commonwealth Games event, the CGF applies a medal award policy to maintain the integrity of the competition.
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“The policy – which was published in January this year – states that gold and silver medals will only be awarded if there are only four participants.
“And only gold medals if there are only three or two participants.
“Unfortunately, while the athletes in the women’s tandem B sprint were aware of this before the race, the scoreboard and results sheet incorrectly indicated that it was a bronze medal race.
“We apologize to the athletes involved for the unintentional distress this has caused.”