Mo Farah: Was scheduled to race the 5000m and 10,000m in Glasgow

England's Mo Farah has been forced to pull out of the Commonwealth Games after failing to recover sufficiently from a recent illness.

Farah was admitted to hospital with abdominal pains earlier this month and missed the recent Diamond League meeting in Glasgow but had subsequently been cleared to return to training.

The 31-year-old, who won two golds at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, had been expected to race in the 5000m and 10,000m events in Glasgow.

"I have taken the tough decision to withdraw from the Commonwealth Games," said Farah, who will now focus on the European Championships in Zurich, an event which starts on August 12.

Sickness

"The sickness I had two weeks ago was a big setback for me. Training is getting better here in Font Romeu (Farah's training base in the south of France) but I need another few weeks to get back to the level I was at in 2012 and 2013.

"I really wanted to add the Commonwealth titles to my Olympic and World championships but the event is coming a few weeks too soon for me as my body is telling me it's not ready to race yet. Best wishes to my fellow athletes in Glasgow."

Team England chef de mission Jan Paterson added: "It is a real blow for any athlete to miss out on a major championships through injury, but to have fought so hard to regain full fitness and to have to take such a difficult decision at this stage is particularly hard.

"We wish Mo all the very best and hope to see him back to his peak very soon."

Farah's achievements in athletics, with World Championship and European Championship gold medals in addition to his unforgettable Olympic success, mark him out as Britain's best ever distance runner.

But he has never won a medal at the the Commonwealth Games, with a ninth place in the 5000m at Melbourne in 2006 his only involvement. He pulled out of the 2010 event in Delhi a month before the start, citing fatigue.