Great Britain men’s hockey team manager will not travel to next month’s Rio Olympics because of his “peripheral role” when police shot dead a Brazilian national in London, officials announced yesterday.
Andy Halliday was formerly a specialist firearms officer in London’s Metropolitan Police and in that capacity had what, a joint statement issued by the British Olympic Association and Great Britain Hockey, said was a “peripheral role” when officers shot dead Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes in a London Underground station in July 2005 in the mistaken belief he was a suicide bomber.
The incident took place amid heightened security concerns following deadly terror attacks on public transport in London earlier that month.
De Menezes’s death remains a sensitive issue and it has now been decided that Halliday, who has been Britain’s team manager since 2010 after he retired from the force, should not travel to Brazil.
“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,” Halliday said in a statement.
“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.”
Sally Munday, Great Britain Hockey chief operating officer, added: “I would like to place on record our thanks to Andy for the dignity and professionalism which he has shown throughout this process.
“Andy is a highly valued member of our team, although he won’t be travelling to the Olympics with the team, he will continue to play a very valuable role in their preparations.”
De Menezes was shot multiple times by police at Stockwell station in south London on July 22, 2005 after being mistakenly identified as one of the suspects from a series of failed suicide bombing attempts the previous day, three on Underground trains and one on a double-decker bus.
Those attempted attacks came after 52 people were killed and more than 700 injured in a similar series of attacks on July 7.