Mo Farah and other stars who aren't at Glasgow 2014 – in pictures

Mo Farah: The double Olympic champion pulled out of the Commonwealth Games on the first day of competition, citing illness that had hampered his preparations. Farah tried his hand at the marathon earlier this year but collapsed after a race in New York (above). The change in his training routine, combined with illness, scuppered his efforts to get fit for Glasgow.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson: With Jessica Ennis-Hill on maternity leave, KJT, as she is known, was expected to announce herself at Glasgow and seemed set to take the Games by storm after a stellar season in which she has risen to number one in the world. But a "stress reaction" in her take off foot in the long jump has forced her to pull out.

Yohan Blake: The Jamaican sprinter, known as 'The Beast', announced he would not be taking part in the Commonwealth Games shortly before the Diamond League meeting at Hampden Park, where the Games will be held, earlier this month. He said he was withdrawing from Glasgow 2014 in order to protect his troublesome hamstring. He then tore the muscle in the 100m final.

Fiji: If one country is synonymous with a single sport it is Fiji with rugby sevens. However, the Pacific Islanders will not have a team at Glasgow 2014 as their suspension from the Commonwealth was only lifted after the draw for the team events had been made. The country, which missed the 2010 ames, was only readmitted to the Commonwealth earlier this year after a military coup in 2006.

Mark Cavendish: The cyclist was hoping to compete for the Isle of Man in the road race at this year's Commonwealth Games after finishing the Tour de France. However, the 'Manx Missile' dislocated his shoulder in a crash on the very first stage of the Tour in Yorkshire, and was ruled out of the Games after undergoing surgery.

Jessica Ennis-Hill: The Olympic heptathlete's absence was flagged up well in advance when she announced she was pregnant with her first child. The poster-girl of the 2012 London Games gave birth to a boy just last week.

Asafa Powell: With Usain Bolt only running in the relay, Yohan Blake out injured and Powell banned, Jamaica's sprint team looks a lot less imposing than usual. Powell will miss the games as he was suspended from competition for 18 months in April after testing positive for a banned substance called oxilofrine.

Becky James: The two-time track cycling world champion has endured a tough year and was forced to pull out of the games because of a knee injury. That came after an abnormal smear test, which meant she had to take time off from her training routine. The Welsh medal hope said she was "terribly disappointed".