MILTON KEYNES. England. Mar 2: Disillusioned by their Olympic experience in Lillehammer, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean announced Wednesday their retirement from competitive skating, reports AP.

The British couple, who finished a disappointing third in Norway amid controversies over the sport s rules, said they would not take part In this month's World Championships in Japan. They instead plan to concentrate on a fund-raising event for Sarajevo, where they won the Olympic title in 1984, and another professional tour.

"We have had a long hard think about It and we have deckled that we wlH not. repeat not, be going (to Japan)," Dean said. "We couldn't skate any better than we skated (at the Olympics). It was one of those memorable performances. We were disillusioned a little bit about how It happened but we were elated by the reaction. The audience were our judge*.

"I think It was a good note for u* to end on." Torvill said. That is what we will remember about our return to competition skating."

The couple spoke at a local Ice rink to help launch a nationwide Skate-a-thon event in aid of the British Red Cross Appeal for the former ^'1^t"l»Vijhbelievable that the city we grew to love can have been devastated In this cruel way," Dean said. The people of former Yugoslavia were »o kind and friendly towards us. It 1* this that has provided u* with a personal motivation in the development and success of Skate-a-thon."

Organisers said they hope the Skate-a-thon. scheduled for the weekend of April 23-24 at ice rink* throughout the country, would raise more than 10,000 pound* (dlr* 150,000).

After that, said Dean: T think there is one more tour left in us."

World champion* from 1981-84 and Olympic champions 10 year* ago, Torvill, 36, and Dean, 35, were reinstated as amateurs for this year'* Olympics and Wor|d Championship* under a new international Skating Union rule.

While their return wiped out the Olympics hopes of the country's younger ice dance couples, a top-three finish by the pair at the Worlds. March 22-27 in Makuhari, Japan, would have given Britain three place* Instead of one at the

Torvill and Dean will be replaced by Marika Humphre. , Justin Lanning, runners up at the British Icc p«nce