Paralympic great Weir brands British Athletics 'a joke'

LONDON ( Reuters) - Six-time Paralympics gold medallist David Weir labelled British Athletics "a joke" on Tuesday and said he would never represent his country again.

Weir, who won four golds at the London 2012 Games and two in Beijing four years earlier, took to his Twitter account to vent his anger, without detailing exactly what he was referring to.

"Today is the day I officially retire from GB I will never put a shirt on again.#thanksBritishAthletics what a joke," the 37-year-old wheelchair racer said.

In another message he added: "I have been let down again."

Weir endured a disappointing Rio Olympics, failing to add to his 10 medals. He declared at the time that he would not compete at another Games, saying he had been "stabbed in the back".

London-born Weir won his Olympic golds in distances ranging from 800 metres to the marathon. He has also won the London Marathon on six occasions, the last of which was in 2012.

(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Ken Ferris)