Trinidad and Tobago's most accomplished swimmer, George Bovell III will not compete at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, in Delhi, India.

In a letter to the Amateur Swimming Association of Trinidad and Tobago (ASATT) and the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (T&TOC) Wednesday, Bovell cited conflict of competitions and the need to get back in training as the main reasons for opting out of the Commonwealth Games.

In his most recent outing, the 2004 Athens Olympic bronze medallist was a disappointing seventh in the B Final of the men's 50-metre freestyle at the Senior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, in California, in mid-August,

In his correspondence to ASATT, Bovell said his decision to pull out of the Commonwealth Games was mainly because of his next major assignment, the World Short Course Swimming Championships, in Dubai, in December.

"I have also been competing non-stop since June. During a competition phase I don't make progress in terms of physical adaptation to training and can only hope to maintain what I already have. I believe after seeing my performance fall off slightly in my last competition after CAC (Central American and Caribbean Games) that I have been in a racing phase too long and need to get back to training phase," he explained.

Bovell, the fourth fastest man in history in the 50m free, noted that the timing of the Commonwealth Games made it problematic for him to be at his peak in India.

"Furthermore, I believe that the World Championships are very important to my development and Olympic goals," he stated, adding that his dad George Bovell II would be withdrawing from the team as manager.

Six swimmers will represent T&T at the Commonwealth Games—Youth Olympic Games gold medallist Christian Homer, Cadell Lyons, Joshua Mc Leod, Jarryd Gregoire, Caryl Blondell and the lone female qualifier Cherelle Thompson.

Shortly after her return from the CAC Games, two-time Olympian Sharntelle Mc Lean declared herself unavailable for the Commonwealth Games. She advised ASATT officials that the necessary period of recovery from illness would not allow her to be fit enough to represent the country in India.