The number of athletes the sport funds is also set to be slashed from 46 to just five.

 

Shooting's budget for London 2012 was last month cut by 78 per cent to just £1.225 million and Leighton-Dyson identified himself in a report presented yesterday to the Board of British Shooting that they could no longer support his position.

 

UK Sport had been unable to fund as many sports as they wanted too because of a £50 million shortfall in funding caused by the current economic crisis.

 

Phil Boakes, the chairman of British Shooting, said: "It sounds illogical to those not involved in a programme such as this but the funding UK Sport have offered shooting is not enough to allow us to put together a meaningful world class performance programme. 

 

"We believe that the performance director role is a very necessary part of our programme and in the run up to 2012, shooting has never faced such an uncertain future."

 

It  was Leighton-Dyson, who had been in the role for eight years, who told the Board that his employment was no longer sustainable.

 

A statement from British Shooting said: "His concern is for a number of athletes, which due to the necessary reduction in numbers needed, will now no longer be part of the programme."

 

British Shooting had received £4.8 million to prepare for last year's Olympics in Beijing but returned without winning any medals having been set a target of two.

 

Shooting has been Britain's eighth most successful Olympic sport since the first Games were held at Athens in 1896.

 

They have won a total of 43 medals, 12 of which have been gold, making it more successful than equestrian, canoeing and judo.

 

 

But in the last five Olympics they have won only two medals, a gold and silver thanks to Richard Faulds and Ian Peel respectively at Sydney in 2000.