Team GB could be rebranded Team UK as part of ‘muscular unionism’ strategy
UK prime minister Boris Johnson is believed to be discussing a rebrand of Team GB to Team UK in a bid to boost the Union.
A senior Whitehall source is quoted as saying the name change would ‘better reflect our commitment to the Union, which includes Northern Ireland.”
It’s part of a wider ‘muscular unionism’ strategy adopted by the UK Government as an attempt to prevent the future break-up of the UK.
The Times reports a Whitehall source as saying: “Team UK would be far more inclusive than Team GB and would better reflect our commitment to the Union, which includes Northern Ireland.”
As Great Britain only covers Wales, Scotland and England, the current Team GB name excludes Northern Ireland.
The official title is ‘Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic team’ but since 1999 the British Olympic Association (BOA) has been using ‘Team GB’.
Union Jack
The ‘muscular unionism’ approach has been seen in Wales with the UK Government’s plans to place a 100 foot high Union Jack on the side of a Cardiff city-centre building.
It’s believed that UK Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has been consulting with Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis over the potential Team GB change.
The BOA issued a statement in 2016 after receiving complaints about the use of Team GB saying: “The British Olympic Association is the National Olympic Committee for Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and the UK Overseas Territories (including the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar).
“As such, neither ‘UK’ or ‘GB’ accurately describes the BOA’s remit.”
They said that due to the complications, they had settled on the ‘Team GB’ brand as being the most appropriate.
Wales has experienced similar issues with its treatment by the English cricket authorities.
While the official name for the sport’s governing body is the ‘England and Wales Cricket Board’, the full title is rarely used and it’s officially referred to as the ‘ECB’.
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Is that how Boris Gump sees people? Thinks a name change is going to wipe out hundreds of years of suppression and disrespect overnight? Idiot.
That’s exactly how he sees them.
That would mean the team could not include the Isle of Man or Channel Islands.
Luckily, almost all the most popular sports (team sports) in our little corner of Europe have separate national representation – rugby and football being the most notable. Then we have cricket – despite not being able to claim that cricket in unpopular in Wales, there does seem to be a difference in how we here in Cymru digest it at entertainment. We don’t, save for those who are actually into cricket. Both soccer (I’m from a place where that’s what many of us call it, sue me) and rugby attract fair-weather fans who’ll pop a match on the TV in… Read more »
I’m a part of Team Too Late Don’t Care Free Cymru
For GB, read England
For UK, read England
With Afghanistan collapsing following our betrayal of that nation, Coronovirus and Brexit still causing havoc and shortages and this septic isle being more divided than it has since the time of Alfred the Cake Burner, is renaming a sporting team REALLY the most important thing on the Kakistocrat leader’s radar?
Probably.
After all, he can’t go any further with bunging our cash to his chums as they haven’t had time to finish laundering the last lot yet. It’s not just HGV drivers and fruit-pickers we’re short of, dodgy accountants are getting hard to find as well.
The Tories are showing their desperation ever more openly. As their emphasis on the “Red Wall”, levelling up and muscular unionism grows their southern “Blue Wall” is crumbling.
This flag waving jingoism is beginning to depress people at both ends of the political spectrum. The only reason Johnson and his cabinet of the inept survives is because they win elections. London and Metropolitan elections take place next year, they could well be his nemesis.
So NI athletes I assume will lose their right to compete for Ireland as part of this move. Yes, that will end well!
For ‘Muscular Unionism’, read ‘Heavy Hand’. They tried it in Ireland a century ago, didn’t end well did it? It’s the behavioural pattern of an abusive relationship writ large; alternate cycles of love-bombing, pleading, promises to change, and the strong arm. Utterly pathetic and transparent. You have to be thick not to see it.
“Muscular unionism” = big bully next door. But remember who won in the shoot-out between David and Goliath
This “Muscular Unionism” thing reminds me of all those eternally breathing in fat blokes who want to convince you that their fat is muscle
Too little, too late and a wait of time now anyway. No amount of renaming this or renaming that is going to change centuries of disrespect and neglect by Westminster. If real change was on offer it would mean a total acceptance of Wales as a separate country with the money to bring the country on level terms with London and the south east. That will never happen – so we are better off out.
Team UK = Team YUK!