Zara Hyde Peters will not take up her role as the next chief executive of UK Athletics as planned.

The former international long-distance runner and British Triathlon chief was due to start work as UK Athletics CEO in December, but wide-spread press reports regarding a "safeguarding issue" have now put stop to her appointment.

In a short statement, Chris Clark, chair of UK Athletics, said: "Following recent press reports and significant media attention focused on Zara Hyde Peters, the UK Athletics Board convened a meeting on Sunday 24 November and discussed the situation fully. Following the meeting I had time with Zara to review the situation and we have agreed together, that she will now not be taking up her position as CEO in December."

Hyde Peters had been appointed to the role in August, following a near-one year search for a permanent UK Athletics CEO, following the stepping down of Niels de Vos in September 2018.

Hyde Peters' career as an elite athlete saw her compete for Great Britain in endurance events during the 1990s. She also represented England in the 1994 Commonwealth Games.