Oscar Pistorius cancels future contracted races

• Pistorius is preparing to mount a defence against his murder charge following the death of Reeva Steenkamp

• Pistorius was remanded to a Pretoria police station after a hearing on Friday

• Pistorius is due in court tomorrow for a bail hearing

The 26-year-old Paralympian, who won two gold medals and a silver at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, is preparing to mount a vigorous defence against his murder charge following the death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

Peet Van Zyl, from Pistorius’ management company, last night said: “Following my visit to Oscar Pistorius this afternoon at the Brooklyn Police Station in Pretoria I would like to issue this short statement.

“The nature of my visit today was two-fold. On a personal level I wanted to offer my support to Oscar, who I have known and worked with for the last seven years and consider a friend and a great professional athlete.

“Secondly, I wanted to briefly discuss racing matters given that his key focus is defending himself against this serious charge.

“I have decided that following these tragic events that we have no option but to cancel all future races that Oscar Pistorius had been contracted to compete in, to allow Oscar to concentrate on the upcoming legal proceedings and to help and support all those involved as they try to come to terms with this very difficult and distressing situation.”

One of the events Pistorius was contracted to compete in was the Manchester City Games on May 25.

After that were Qantas Tour races in Australia on March 9 and 16, as well as meetings in Rio de Janeiro (March 31) and Iowa (April 26).

The statement continued: “Further competitions were being discussed as Oscar focused on the IAAF World Championships in Moscow in August as the highlight for his season.

“Regarding sponsors and partners, I can confirm that at this point in time, all parties are supportive and their contractual commitments are maintained. They have said they are happy to let the legal process takes its course before making any change in their position.

“On Oscar’s behalf, we, as his management company, would like to formally thank the thousands of people who have sent supportive messages which have come from all over the world.”

Steenkamp was shot dead at Pistorius’ home on Thursday.

Pistorius was remanded to a Pretoria police station after a hearing on Friday at which prosecutors said they intended to pursue a case of premeditated murder against the athlete.

His family has already issued a statement in which they vowed to fight the murder charge in the “strongest terms”.

Pistorius is due in court tomorrow for a bail hearing.