Sir Chris Hoy, Britain’s triple Olympic gold medal-winning cyclist, has criticised the inclusion of professional sports in the Games which he claims are damaging to the Olympics’ reputation.

The Edinburgh-born athlete believes sports such as football, golf and tennis should not be included because their participants do not regard a gold medal as the pinnacle of achievement in their field.

Hoy said that professional footballers would rather win a World Cup medal and tennis players a grand slam trophy than achieve the ultimate success in the Olympics and, as such, their involvement diminishes the Games.

“If winning the gold medal isn’t the ultimate achievement in a sport then I think you should question its inclusion in the Olympics,” he told The Sunday Times. “Golf, tennis and football are examples of this. Would a golfer want to be an Olympic medal winner or the US Open champion? Would a tennis player rather win gold or win Wimbledon?”

Scotland’s greatest Olympian and the first Briton to win three gold medals at the same Games (Beijing), said athletes feel demoralised competing alongside those they know regard the event as second best.

“I’m passionate about the Olympic Games and their reputation is at stake. If a gold medal is not the be-all-and-end-all in a sport then it diminishes that medal.

“It is so hard for a professional sport that has been around for so long and has these massive, globally-recognised events like the US Open and Wimbledon, to be added to the Olympic Games.

“I can’t see the Games competing in terms of prestige and therefore I feel you have to seriously question their involvement.”

Hoy, who won three golds at the Track World Cup in Manchester, which finished last week, was afforded an open-top bus parade in his home city after his medal successes in Beijing. He was knighted by the Queen in the New Year’s honours and named BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

“It still feels really strange to get recognised in the street, but thankfully my team-mates won’t let me get above my station,” he said. “There is no chance that I’ll start getting carried away and believing the hype. If I do take my foot off the pedal someone will take my place in the team. There is no room for prima donna behaviour in track cycling.”

Colin Montgomerie, the Ryder Cup captain, lobbied International Olympics Committee (IOC) members for the inclusion of golf in the Games.

Peter Dawson, the chief executive of the Royal and Ancient club and co-leader of golf’s Olympic bid, said: “Golf should be there because it’s a sport that’s played all around the world by men and women, young and old. In time the Olympic golf competition will be right up there with the other major events in golf and that will be good for the game.”

Jacques Rogge, the IOC president, said that winning an Olympic medal would become one of the main ambitions for top golfers. “The same questions were raised time and again when tennis and ice-hockey were introduced,” he said. “Ask tennis players like Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, ask NHL [ice hockey] players, ask the NBA basketball players. They all want to go to the Games.”

A full meeting of the IOC congress in September backed the inclusion of golf and rugby sevens, but rejected sports including squash, baseball and karate.

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