Rio 2016: GB Hockey's Andy Halliday to miss Games over Stockwell Tube shooting

Halliday was first appointed as GB Hockey men's team manager in 2010

Great Britain manager Andy Halliday will miss the Rio Olympics due to "sensitivities" over his involvement in the operation that led to the death of Jean Charles de Menezes in 2005.

Halliday was part of a police firearms team that mistook the Brazilian national for a terror suspect at Stockwell Tube station, two weeks after the 7 July London bombings.

"Following advice, it was agreed with Andy that he would not travel to Brazil as a member of hockey's management team," GB Hockey said in a statement.

Halliday, formerly a specialist firearms officer in the Metropolitan Police, played what GB Hockey called a "peripheral role" in the operation on the London Underground.

In the statement, Great Britain Hockey said both it and the British Olympic Association had "been aware of the sensitivities of this matter in relation to Team GB competing in the Rio Olympics".

"Andy has continued in his role as team manager and will be working with the rest of the management team to help prepare the athletes for the event."

Halliday said: "Whilst I am obviously disappointed not to be going to the Olympic Games, I have known of this decision since last November and respect the process that has been followed and the decision itself.

"The performance interests of the team continue to be of paramount importance and I am focused purely on helping the team prepare for Rio 2016."

Great Britain Hockey's chief operating officer Sally Munday thanked Halliday "for the dignity and professionalism which he has shown throughout this process".