The world governing body of cycling, the UCI, said the fine, which was also imposed on England cycling team manager Keith Reynolds, was for “failing to respect the instructions of the commissioner/organizer”.
It is clear that Team England is discussing the chain of events with the Commonwealth Games Federation and wants the medal decision reversed.
It is also clear that the matter was an item on the agenda at a CGF board meeting on Saturday.
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.
“The policy – which was published in January this year – states that only gold and silver medals will 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 made 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 that caused this.”
Unwin, 28, won silver in the Paralympic road race and bronze in the individual pursuit last summer in Tokyo.