BRITAIN'S track and field athletes will be banned from going to next year's London 2012 opening ceremony.

Outspoken head coach Charles van Commenee has told all his athletes that they will not be able to take part in the team parade at the spectacular event in the Olympic Stadium on July 27 next year.

It means punters who have paid up to £2,012 for top seats will miss out on seeing the likes of top stars such as Jessica Ennis, Phillips Idowu and Christine Ohuruogu.

And none of them will be able to carry the Union Jack flag at the head of the team.

Van Commenee, head coach of UK Athletics, revealed on Thursday: "I've told all the athletes they can't go to the opening ceremony.

"It's not feasible and I think they will agree with me in the end. It doesn't fit in with professional preparation for the biggest event of your life.

"They wouldn't go shopping for eight hours before the biggest competition of their life so why stand on your feet for hours at an opening ceremony. They can go to the closing ceremony instead."

Team GB members who took part in the opening ceremony for the Beijing Games three years ago were forced to stand around for hours and endure temperatures of more than 100 degrees in the stadium.

No-nonsense Dutchman van Commenee also admitted he would meet athletes later this year to advise them about the use of social networking sites such as Twitter.

It followed a Twitter row with triple-jumper Idowu, who will defend his title in South Korea next month.

Idowu controversially pulled out of the British squad for the European Team Championships in Stockholm last month with van Commenee claiming he had announced it on Twitter.

It prompted a furious response from Idowu who accused Van Commenee of being a "blatant liar".

But Van Commenee insisted: "We've both decided to leave the incident behind us. What we have in common is the World Championships in Daegu and London 2012 after that. That is what we are focused on.

"But the use of social media is on the agenda at a meeting with athletes. Personally I stick to the facts which is good advice.

"If athletes share facts rather than feelings you can't argue withe facts.

"We're not going to ban social networking. We travel with more than 100 people including staff and if you had to check on them all 24 hours a day it would be impossible.

"When you give athletes advice with good reasons they usually follow that. They are adults and I don't think sanctions or bans are feasible or will stop incidents from happening."


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