FORMER UK Athletics performance director Dave Collins is frustrated Great Britain’s track and field athletes were denied the recognition they deserved at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Collins’ contract was not renewed after Britain fell one short of the medal target with four track and field medals: 400 metres gold for Christine Ohuruogu, silvers for Phillips Idowu in the triple jump and Germaine Mason in the high jump and bronze for Tasha Danvers in the 400m hurdles.

But re-testing of anti-doping samples from the Beijing Games have led to doping disqualifications and doubled the British team’s haul, with Kelly Sotherton the latest beneficiary on Monday.

Collins said: “It’s great to see and it’s an essential step for the sport, but clearly it’s a disappointment they didn’t get their day in the sun.

“It’s great to see the teams getting recognition late, because it’s better late than never. But by gosh it would have been a lot better at the time.”

Sotherton is to be upgraded to heptathlon bronze after also being part of the women’s 4x400m relay team to be promoted to the podium.

Goldie Sayers in the javelin and the men’s 4x400m relay team are also expected to benefit from disqualifications arising from targeted International Olympic Committee re-testing of athlete samples, which is ongoing and could result in further British medals.

Collins’ anger is more about the athletes missing out on deserved recognition which might have propelled them to even greater heights with the London 2012 Olympics looming large.

There would also have been commercial benefits associated with a home Games.

Collins is pragmatic about his own departure from UKA.

He was appointed to the role in December 2004 and believes there was a marked improvement in performances of individuals who were carrying out season’s bests and personal bests at major championships including the Beijing Olympics.

Britain’s haul of eight medals would now see them ranked fourth in total medals won.

“My contract not being extended was, I think, much more to do with other factors than the medal count,” Collins added.

“There were certainly internal disagreements with management and management wanted to take things in a different direction.

“You can’t control what the opposition are doing. And at the time we had our suspicions that there were an awful lot of shenanigans going on.”

Collins, a professor, has returned to academia and is currently chair and director of the institute of coaching and performance at the University of Central Lancashire, and a consultant across a variety of sports.

He will be sports psychologist to the New Zealand ski and snowboard team at next year’s Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

UK Sport’s funding model has been scrutinised of late and Collins believes it should be.

He is sceptical about whether there is any link between Olympic and Paralympic medals and participation, for example.

Collins suggests an increase in people running and cycling is more due to those national governing bodies, rather than a central, coordinated policy which can see the benefits of sport for health, leisure and transport.

Collins said: “My fundamental question would be: what’s the funding there for? Are we funding just so we can win medals?

“That seems to me to be rather like the old East German system: ‘look at how good our system is, because look at how many medals we win’.

“I can understand why that focus is there, I just don’t necessarily think that’s the best use of the money,” Collins added.