Olympic 100 metres champion Julien Alfred will not compete at the upcoming Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, the Saint Lucia Olympic Committee Inc. (SLOC) and Saint Lucia Commonwealth Games Association have confirmed.

In a statement, the association said it was “extremely disappointed” by Alfred’s decision not to participate in the Games, which will be held in Glasgow, Scotland, from July 23 to August 2.

The 25-year-old, who won silver in the women’s 100m at then 2022 Games in Birmingham, had previously expressed her excitement at participating in the games. 

She has been riding on a high this season 21.51 seconds at the Monaco Diamond League on July 10 to become the third fastest woman in history.

According to the association, Alfred had previously committed to representing Saint Lucia at the Games following discussions held last year with the sprinter and her manager, Henry Rolles.

“We learnt of Julien’s non-participation at the Games during a meeting with the Athletics Association which was called to finalise plans for the team’s participation,” the statement said.

The association said it subsequently asked the Saint Lucia Athletics Association (SLAA) to seek clarification from Alfred’s management regarding the change in plans.

It said the SLAA received what it described as a brief response from Rolles before the Olympic committee contacted him directly for a fuller explanation.

“He provided a rather lengthy response to us which we considered rather unfortunate,” the association said, without disclosing the contents of the correspondence.

Despite expressing disappointment, the SLOC said it remains committed to supporting Saint Lucian athletes as they prepare for future international competitions, including the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

“The SLOC Inc. has a clear pathway for all athletes hoping to represent our nation at the 2028 Summer Olympics and our committee remains steadfast in the implementation of this policy,” the statement said.

The association wished Alfred continued success in her career and said it looks forward to supporting her future international appearances representing Saint Lucia.