Hoy: I'm being used by politicians

(REUTERS)

Chris Hoy, the cyclist who won three gold medals in Beijing, has spoken of his irritation at politicians "cashing in" on his success.

Before returning from the Games to his home in Edinburgh, Hoy rounded on comments from senior SNP politicians suggesting that a separate Scottish team could emulate the success of Jamaica, which won six golds on the track.

And Gordon Brown went on to mention Hoy in a speech this week, using his words to strike back at his critics. But Hoy has hit out, saying that he resents the attention. "Politicians want to be involved so that they can [associate] with your success and benefit from the positive feeling in your country," he said. "If there was a Scottish Olympic team, of course I'd want to be part of it, just like I am at the Commonwealth Games. If the politicians are serious about it then great, but show us that you're serious. The facilities need to be there so that Scottish athletes can have access to the right coaching and support. In cycling, that's just not the case so we could not base ourselves there."