Australian coach Eric Hollingsworth suspended for criticising Sally Pearson

Athletics Australia has suspended head coach Eric Hollingsworth for criticising hurdler Sally Pearson.

Hollingsworth suggested that Pearson was wrong to skip a training camp in Gateshead ahead of the Commonwealth Games, and claiming that the 27-year-old had set a "bad example" for her teammates.

"Athletics Australia condemns in the strongest terms his disparaging comments about Sally Pearson and his timing," the organisation's president David Grace revealed in a statement.

"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."

Pearson begins the defence of her Commonwealth title on Thursday.

Written by
Callum Mulvihill