Scottish Olympic Team

[keltic_bhoy]

SNP's Olympics plea is rejected

A demand for Scotland to field its own Olympic team when London hosts the 2012 games has been rejected. The Scottish National Party's Linda Fabiani MSP made the call by urging politicians from all parties to get behind the suggestion. But a Scottish Executive spokesman said no plans existed to look at the idea and scottishathletics said it was "simply not feasible".

Hampden Park in Glasgow will be one of the venues for football in 2012. Currently, athletes from the UK home nations compete under the banner of Great Britain at the Olympics.

Ms Fabiani has lodged a parliamentary motion calling for the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland to be upgraded to a full national Olympic committee and urged ministers to back the move. The Central Scotland MSP said: "Let's see Scotland's politicians get behind Scotland's athletes and let's make sure we have a Scotland team at the London Olympics. Scotland can compete internationally in sport, as our Commonwealth Games teams have shown over the years." She added: "Scotland is recognised as a sporting nation by many international sporting organisations and there is no reason why the Olympic movement should be any different. The Olympic medals picked up by Scotland's sporting heroes over the years indicate a sporting strength that can be built on in Scotland."

Ms Fabiani - who is writing to Scottish Disability Sport, the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland and London 2012 chairman Lord Coe - argued that Hong Kong, Guam and the British Virgin Islands are represented indepenently. She went on: "National flags were first carried into an Olympic stadium at the 1908 London Olympics, and it would be good if the Scottish Saltire could finally join those flags at the London Olympics of 2012."

'Political football'

But an executive spokesman said that it was up to the International Olympic Committee to decide which Olympic committees it recognised. A spokesman for scottishathletics said: "For Scottish athletes, the Commonwealth Games is pretty much their Olympic Games. We do have an opportunity to compete as our own nation in the Commonwealth Games and we do see advantages in being part of a British team as well."

Highlands and Islands Tory MSP Jamie McGrigor accused nationalists of playing political football. He said: "They care more about their own narrow nationalism than the country's sporting status."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4718807.stm

[keltic_bhoy]

Anyone else think a Scottish Olympic Team would be a good idea. At first it was knocked back by politicians and the media but now it seems to be gaining some support. I personally think the majority of Scots would have immense pride and passion in seeing our athletes competing in the London 2012 Olympics wearing the Saltire on their chest. Maybe we could start a petition?

[Myers]

I agree..

I think that we should enter as 4 seperate Nations, However, N.I. would probably not wish too. It would be nice though to enter as seperate countries, we are afterall seperate countries.

[LongHairedBeardedKiltie]

Originally Posted by Myers

I agree..

I think that we should enter as 4 seperate Nations, However, N.I. would probably not wish too. It would be nice though to enter as seperate countries, we are afterall seperate countries.

You would get much the same reaction from Welsh and English nationalists. I do however like the British idea of the Olympics. The flip side to this would be more young Scots would get thru to the team. The standard would be lower though.

[keltic_bhoy]

I think the sporting situation in NI is quite complex. In the Olympics they compete as part of the UK, in football they compete as Northern Ireland and in egg-chasing they compete as an all Ireland team. Where's the consistency?

[Myers]

Originally Posted by LongHairedBeardedKiltie

You would get much the same reaction from Welsh and English nationalists. I do however like the British idea of the Olympics. The flip side to this would be more young Scots would get thru to the team. The standard would be lower though.

Sure low standards but it forces our education officials to actually work for their money... and if it’s the separate nations we would have far more monies injected into our schools.....

[Myers]

Originally Posted by keltic_bhoy

I think the sporting situation in NI is quite complex. In the Olympics they compete as part of the UK, in football they compete as Northern Ireland and in egg-chasing they compete as an all Ireland team. Where's the consistency?

LOL...



I am sure our cousins will work something out....