Commonwealth Games: Fans furious after 'disgraceful' rule denies cyclists a medal

English Para-cyclist Sophie Unwin was left in tears after she was denied a bronze medal in the Commonwealth Games tandem B sprint.

The 28-year-old and her pilot Georgia Holt earned their third place finish after beating Scotland’s Libby Clegg and pilot Jenny Holl in the bronze medal race.

But despite their names being thrown up on all the screens inside the velodrome, they were denied access to the medal ceremony.

A teary Unwin and Holt were snubbed of their medals because only four of the five teams that entered actually started the event.

The Commonwealth Games has a rule that only awards gold and silver medals during such circumstances. However, this was apparently not communicated to the riders.

The English duo protested during the medal ceremony by posing behind the podium with their national flag before security asked them to move.

Unwin and Holt then had their own unofficial ceremony afterwards. They were snapped on the podium with bronze medals borrowed from England’s women’s team pursuit squad.

The upset and disappointment felt by the two cyclists is shared by many supporters who have taken to social media to speak out against the situation.

“This is so sad… surely they deserve official bronze medals? What a ridiculous rule!” one Twitter user wrote.

Another individual said they were actually at the velodrome during the tandem B sprint and admitted the medal confusion was “a shambles.”

Commonwealth Games fans appear to be most unhappy about how the miscommunicated rule is seemingly making it difficult to promote inclusivity.

“They competed, they earned it. Unwin and Holt should have their medals awarded to them. The rules are outdated and need reviewing, these events are meant to promote inclusivity,” someone