A running track that has played a role in preparing athletes for major championships since the 1980s could be closed until well into next year following a delay to laying a new surface.
Glasgow Commonwealth Games medal winner Megan Keith used Queens Park in Inverness to help her train for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and other competitions.
The facility has been out of action since early June when work on the £650,000 revamp began. The venue was due to be reopened next month.
But Highland Council has warned of the possibility of an extensive delay after more defects than previously thought were discovered in the track's original bottom layer.
The new polymer surface can only be laid in warm weather and the local authority said this may not be possible this year.
Athletics club Inverness Harriers said the delay would be a "serious blow" to training and its competitive programme next spring.
The club is using Culloden Academy as a temporary venue. A spokesperson thanked the school and community sports complex for its help.
The revamped track was due to be opened next month [BBC]Inverness athlete Keith, who won a bronze medal in the women's 5,000m at this summer's Commonweath Games, has made extensive use of Queens Park for preparations for major championships.
Other world-class Scots athletes, including Kirsty Law and Jamie Bowie, have also trained at the venue.
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