The Commonwealth Games has lost one of its biggest drawcards with double Olympic champion Mo Farah pulling out due to illness.
The presence of the Olympic 5000m and 10,000m champion gave the Games much needed credibility, but he succumbed on Thursday to the stomach pains which forced him out of his last two races.
"I have taken the tough decision to withdraw from the Commonwealth Games. The sickness I had two weeks ago was a big setback for me," Farah said.
The Somali-born Englishman had been training at altitude in the Pyrenees after withdrawing from the Glasgow Grand Prix meeting earlier this month and last Sunday's Anniversary Games in London.
"Training is getting better here in Font Romeu but I need another few weeks to get back to the level I was at in 2012 and 2013," he said.
"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."
The England team said Farah will now focus on getting back to full fitness for next month's European championships in Zurich.
Jamaica's six-time Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt, who will only compete in the 4x100m relay, Kenya's 800m Olympic champion and world record holder David Rudisha and 400m Olympic gold medallist Kirani James from Grenada still give the athletics program some A-list quality.
And Olympic champions Jamaican sprinter Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Australian hurdler Sally Pearson, New Zealand shot putter Valerie Adams and English long jumper Greg Rutherford shore up the quality on the track.
Organising chief David Grevemberg admitted Farah's withdrawal was a blow to the Games.
"There's no question we're disappointed Mo Farah has announced he would be withdrawing," Grevemberg told reporters.
"It's very disappointing for Mo as well. Speaking to his management, I know he wished he could have come."
It's also a blow for England who had banked on two gold medals from Farah in its bid to top the medal table for first time since 1986.
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