OLYMPIC gold medal winner and I’m a Celebrity star, Sam Quek MBE, believes sports such as football, golf and tennis should not be at the Olympics.

The Wirral hockey star, who won gold at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, took aim at those sports which already have a high profile saying that ‘In my opinion, if the Olympics is not the pinnacle of your sport, then your sport should not be in the Olympics.’

Quek made the comments on a new episode of Colin Murray’s 52 podcast. 

In answer to the question ‘what’s the best sporting motivation, love or hate?’, Quek also discusses the funding pressures sports such as hockey face to secure money for future Games, which helped to spur her on to beat Team GB’s Dutch opponents on penalties in the final in Rio.

She said: “I was playing for the future of my sport. It’s the reality that if hockey didn’t get onto the podium, you lose money and UK Sports stops funding you - so the girls that were going to Tokyo wouldn’t have had a chance to train full time.”

In an interview like no other, Colin Murray’s 52 – sponsored by Grosvenor Casinos and recorded in front of a live audience in its venues across the country – sees sporting guests select a playing card from a deck with a random question which sets the agenda for the most unpredictable sporting conversation.

In other episodes released, Olympic sprinter and bronze medal winner, Kath Merry, opens up about the tough circumstances athletes face when it comes to raising a family while training.

Meanwhile, George Groves, British former professional boxer, packs a punch in his episode, stating how he “detested” competitor, Carl Froch, who knocked him clean out at an explosive match at Wembley Stadium.

To listen to Colin Murray’s 52 sponsored by Grosvenor Casinos, visit https://pod.link/1672024280