The partnership, signed in 2013, was due to run until 2017 but Sainsbury’s took advantage of a clause in the agreement allowing them to review the contract at the halfway stage.

According to the retailer, British Athletics were informed of the early termination towards the end of last year but it has only just been made public, the news coming just days before the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships are due to begin in Beijing on Saturday (August 22).

A team of 62 British athletes are set to compete at the Bird’s Nest Stadium, a venue used for the 2008 Olympic Games in the Chinese capital, including Olympic champions Jessica Ennis-Hill and Mo Farah.

Sainsbury’s have claimed their decision is not related to the recent doping scandals which have plagued the sport following the leak of IAAF data to German TV station ARD and British newspaper the Sunday Times, which alleged more than 800 athletes had given blood samples that were "highly suggestive" of doping or "abnormal".

It has been confirmed that the recent Anniversary Games, held at the Olympic Stadium on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, will be the last event to carry the Sainsbury’s branding.

"British Athletics would like to thank Sainsbury’s for their support of our major event series since 2013," a statement from the national governing  body read.

"With their help, we are proud to have established the Anniversary Games as one of the country’s must-see events of the summer sporting calendar.

"The 2016 event is set to be the perfect send-off for British athletes headed to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the build-up to a home World Championships in 2017 will again put the Anniversary Games in the forefront of the nation’s most iconic sports events."

Sainsbury’s had established a strong relationship with athletics in Britain after they sponsored the 2012 Paralympic Games in London and the first Anniversary Games the following year.

The supermarket chain then signed a new four-year deal in 2014, covering all of British Athletics’ major events.

Their choice to terminate the sponsorship deal early, which comes as a result of a money-saving initiative for the company, leaves British Athletics looking for a new main partner amid one of the worst doping crisis to ever hit the sport.

"Sainsbury’s has been a proud supporter of British Athletics since 2013 following our sponsorship of the London 2012 Paralympic Games," a statement from the supermarket read.

"The decision was made as part of our strategic review last year.

"We wish British Athletics all the best with their future events programme."


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