"GB" Olympic Team (not "UK" Olympic team)?

[Juniper Jack]

A friend here in the US asked me this question so I thought I'd ask it here--

Why is the British Olympic team not called the United Kingdom team?

Just wondering ...

(During the 1996 Olympics the university where I was working at the time put flags of all the participating countries on display in the food court. For the British team, instead of the Union Jack they had the English flag and when I asked why they said it was because that is the flag Britain uses for sports competitions. Since I know that was not so for the Olympics, I thought I would post my friend's question where I know it will get a correct answer.)

 

[Bosworth]

The UK's full and official name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Great Britain Is England, Scotland and Wales. Great Britain is very often, but incorrectly, used as a synonym for the sovereign state properly known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland or the UK for short. As far as I was aware Northern Ireland competed in team GB so we should have been given the full and official name.

Never should the George Flag be used for GB, the George Flag is for England only. The Union Flag, popularly known as the *Union Jack, is the national flag of the United Kingdom. It is the British flag.

It is called the Union Flag because it symbolises the administrative union of the countries of the United Kingdom. It is made up up of the individual Flags of three of the Kingdom's countries all united under one Sovereign - the countries of 'England, of 'Scotland' and of 'Northern Ireland' (since 1921 only Northern Ireland has been part of the United Kingdom). As Wales was not a Kingdom but a Principality it could not be included on the flag.

 

[Thistle]

I did hear a commentator say something at Olympics that NI could chose whether to compete for Ireland or GB, not sure if that's correct though.

 

[Goldenstar]

I don't think NI as a geographic area can chose that but if you are born there you can definatly chose which country you can represent as you can take a passport from the republic of Ireland as can your spouse .

 

[Nollaig Shona]

I did hear a commentator say something at Olympics that NI could chose whether to compete for Ireland or GB, not sure if that's correct though.

Yes they can, the Republic of Ireland team is an all-Ireland team. Two of the boxers who won medals at London are from Norn Iron.

 

[Sven]

You forgot the Channel Islands!

 

[Goldenstar]

You forgot the Channel Islands!

Serious oversight !!!

 

[teapot]

And on some of the team kit it does actually say GBR

 

[Bosworth]

The Channel Islands come under England, same as the Isle of Man and the Scilly Isles

 

[burtie]

The Channel Islands come under England, same as the Isle of Man and the Scilly Isles

Actually they don't. They are Crown Dependencies. However what is part of the UK or Great Britain or The British Islands' or 'The British Isles' is all rather complicated!

As to who can compete for 'Us' this is from the TeamGB Website:

WHAT IS THE BRITISH OLYMPIC ASSOCIATION?
The British Olympic Association (BOA) is the National Olympic Committee (NOC) for Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The BOA is responsible for the participation in the Olympic Games of athletes from GB and NI, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and UK Overseas Territories which do not have their own National Olympic Committee.

 

[Jo_x]

The information I found online indicated that NI athletes had the choice between competing for ireland or GB

 

[Theocat]

The full team name is Great Britain and North Ireland, but they use the short (incorrect) version because they need something catchy for most day-to-day use.

If anyone can up with something catchy and short and correct, I'm sure they'd be delighted to receive all suggestions. Realistically, commentators and the general public aren't going to say "Great Britain and Northern Ireland" every time, and UK isn't accurate either.

 

[Nollaig Shona]

Someone replying to a Facebook thing said that as of 2014 there won't be a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland so it won't be a problem (ie "Team GB" being poor grammar etc) any more.

whut?

 

[Gamebird]

I suspect that they are referring (perhaps optimistically) to the forthcoming Scottish referendum on independence.

 

[trottingon]

"As Wales was not a Kingdom but a Principality it could not be included on the flag"

I have wondered why Wales wasn't represented on the Union Jack for YEARS!!! Thanks for this😄😄😄ha ha!

 

[Nollaig Shona]

I suspect that they are referring (perhaps optimistically) to the forthcoming Scottish referendum on independence.

Could be, can't find the post any more, so I can't ask for further details!