Last updated at 23:17 02 February 2007

Olympic gold medallist Jonathan Edwards,

whose devout Christian beliefs prevented him

competing on Sundays early in his career, has

lost God in his life to the extent that he is to stop presenting the BBC’s Songs of Praise.

Triple jump champion Edwards, who ended his

glittering athletics career in 2002, is on screen

on Sunday hosting the show for a three-week run

visiting England’s finest churches.

But that will end his involvement in religious

programming after he told corporation bosses

the loss of his previously super-strong Christian

faith meant he no longer felt comfortable

fronting the show or any similar output.

Edwards became famous for being a Christian

before achieving athletics glory after pulling out

of the 1991 world championship because of the

Sunday triple jump schedule.

He later competed on a Sunday in the qualifying

round of the event in 1993 on the way to a

bronze medal, explaining God had told him in a

dream to make full use of his ability.

He once said: "My relationship with Jesus and

God is fundamental to everything I do. I have

made a commitment and dedication in that

relationship to serve God in every area of my

life."

But Edwards is understood to have

re-evaluated his Christian beliefs last summer.

The family man used to tell friends he objected

whenever his work kept him away from his wife

and two sons on Tyneside — but he now spends

a lot of time in London, where he has a flat.

His commitments in the capital include being

the athletes’ representative on the London 2012

organising committee and an adviser to sports

communications company Vero.

Wisden Cricketer magazine has been put

up for sale by the Getty family, whose huge

wealth is not enough for them to prop up a

publication that has a monthly circulation of

around 36,000. The owners want to

concentrate on their other cricket interests —

the Wisden almanack, website Cricinfo and

Hawkeye, the TV technology used to illustrate

lbw appeals. Among those being offered the

chance to buy Wisden Cricketer is former

editor Christopher Martin-Jenkins.

Scottish FA boss David

Taylor is a shock candidate

to be the next UEFA

chief executive after Lars-

Christer Olsson became the

first high-profile casualty of

Michel Platini’s presidency.

Platini is considering

Taylor now Sepp Blatter’s

FIFA henchman Jerome

Champagne has ruled himself

out. Taylor can at least

claim to have sorted the appointment of new

Scotland manager Alex McLeish in a fortnight,

far quicker than his English FA equivalents took

to settle on Steve McClaren.

Martin Turner, Sky Sports’ senior rugby

producer, was given the seat next to

network owner Rupert Murdoch at a party in

west London for all those who have worked for

Sky since 1990. The honour was due to Turner

being the longest-serving Sky employee

rather than Rupert having any love of rugby.

Dons hope Jim'll fix it

AFC Wimbledon will be represented by one

of the country’s top criminal defence lawyers

when they appeal to the Ryman League on

Wednesday over their FA Trophy expulsion.

The club were found guilty of fielding an

ineligible player, Jermaine Darlington, against

Gravesend & Northfleet.

Jim Sturman is best known for representing

Colin Stagg, who was acquitted in 1994 of murdering

Rachel Nickel.

The lawyer regularly acts

for Chelsea and is working for the non-League

team for free rather than his usual £600 an hour.

The keen football fan regularly donates his

time to causes that could not afford to hire him

in order to give something back to the game.

Midfielder Darlington, who left Cardiff to join

AFC Wimbledon, did not have international

clearance from the Welsh FA to play in the FA

Trophy second-round tie on January 13.