The 27-year-old was born in England, but now competes internationally for Ireland.

Reid has represented Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games since his debut at Glasgow 2014 through his Belfast-born mother, and won bronze in the men's 200 metres at Gold Coast 2018.

In February, Reid was found guilty of allowing his flat in Bath to be used to produce crack cocaine and receiving payment which text messages showed to amount to £500 ($590/€590) per month.

He was found not guilty of concealing criminal property and of three firearms offences.

Reid received a suspended sentence at Bristol Crown Court and an order to undertake 220 hours of unpaid work.

Three other men convicted over the drugs operation were given jail terms.

Reid was one of 18 men charged with drugs and firearms offences last year, all of which he denied.

The Olympic Federation of Ireland's Selection Committee had initially rejected his nomination to represent the country at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but he was cleared to compete on appeal, while awaiting trial, and went on to reach the men's 200m semi-finals.

Reid had been due to represent Northern Ireland at Birmingham 2022, but his hopes have been hampered by local organisers' decision.

A Birmingham 2022 spokesperson said checks on participants were in place to enhance the safety of the event.

"As with any major event, delivering a safe and secure experience for all involved requires stringent checks and balances being put in place and adhered to," the spokesperson commented.

"Birmingham 2022 has worked closely with the National Accreditation Team to vet and check all delegate attendees that are planning to attend the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.  

"Under this nationally recognised guidance, we made clear the parameters and details of checks that would be carried out on all attending individuals. 

"This information was made clear to all teams and Commonwealth Games Associations well in advance of team selections."

Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland (CGNI) said it was "disappointed to confirm that track athlete Leon Reid has been denied entry to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games following a security risk assessment", and suggested it was exploring the possibility of appealing the decision.

"Leon had been selected by CGNI and had been entered into the 200m event prior to the 29 June deadline," it said in a statement reported by the BBC.

"Notification was subsequently received from the Birmingham 2022 Organising Committee that he would not be allowed to participate.

"Commonwealth Games NI is currently seeking clarity on any potential appeal mechanism, and the athlete has been offered well-being support as he deals with this news."

In May, Athletics Ireland said it would continue to consider Reid for selection.

His 200m personal best is 20.27sec, recorded in Birmingham in 2018.

The athletics and Para athletics events at Birmingham 2022 are scheduled for August 2 to 7 at the Alexander Stadium.