Mo Farah will receive a six-figure fee for his Marathon debut and can expect a similar sum for the Grand Prix
By Alan Hubbard
Sunday, March 09, 2014
Mo Farah can anticipate a less than ecstatic reception from a Scottish crowd when he runs in the Glasgow Grand Prix at Hampden Park on the weekend of 11-12 July.
That is, unless by then he has changed his mind and declared his intention to compete in the Commonwealth Games to be held in the city a fortnight later. It was hoped that the double Olympic and world champion would be the star attraction of the Games, alongside Usain Bolt, but so far both have declined to commit their presence.
Farah runs the New York half-marathon next Sunday as a prelude to his full marathon debut in London next month, but his decision to make his first track appearance of the year in the Sainsbury-sponsored Diamond League meeting in July has further irritated Games organisers in the light of his earlier announcement that their event is "not on my list". Publicly they remain tersely tight-lipped but privately they are furious at what is perceived as a snub by Farah, who will receive a six-figure fee for his Marathon debut and can expect a similar sum for the Grand Prix.
However, there is some hope that Farah might be persuaded to change his mind once he finds his feet on the track again after pounding London's roads – especially if the Somali-born, American-based athlete listens to critics who say absenting himself from the Commonwealth event would be deemed "unpatriotic".