We’ve already shared at HuffPost UK why Olympic gold medallists competing in Stade de France ring that bronze bell, as well as how much the top three athletes in each sport get paid for getting on the podium.
But what about something a little closer to home?
Why does the UK’s Olympic crew go by “Team GB,” even though it has athletes from Northern Ireland?
After all, Great Britain refers to the landmass containing England, Scotland, and Wales, while the United Kingdom also includes Northern Ireland.
It’s a question Redditors had, too. In a recent post shared to r/northernireland, sire user u/Brainfreeze99 asked, “Team GB. Why not Team UK? It seems as though NI gets left out. In terms of geography, Great Britain is the name of an island.”
What is the answer?
A now-deleted user wrote under the question, “Officially it’s the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic Team. Team GB was picked in 1999 as a snappy marketing tool.”
The BBC confirms this (well, not the “snappy marketing tool” bit, but the rest).
Team GB’s official site says that “The British Olympic Association (BOA) is the National Olympic Committee (NOC) for Great Britain and Northern Ireland.”
They add that the BOA “is responsible for selecting Team GB for the Olympic Games, in conjunction with the National Governing Bodies of each Olympic sport.”
In other words, Team GB is kind of the BOA’s “brand name.”
They also select, or are open to selecting, athletes from “the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and UK Overseas Territories which do not have their own National Olympic Committee.”
As a result, the BOA says that “neither ‘UK’ nor ‘GB’ accurately describes the BOA’s remit nor would they be representative of all the territories that fall under the BOA’s jurisdiction”.
So, “Team UK” is just as “wrong” as “Team GB,” per the organisation ― though some, like Scottish journalist Gerry Hassan, have said that even if “Team UK” wasn’t 100% right, ”‘Team GB’ is even more inaccurate.”
Why did they change the name to “Team GB” in the ’90s?
According to the BBC, the BOA argues that the UK, Channel Isles, the Isle of Man, and Overseas UK Territories have been entered into the Games as “GBR” since 1908.
So, “Team GB” was a natural, if not quite “representative,” name, they argue.
However, I’m inclined to agree with the Redditor who called the 1999 name “snappy.”
After all, saying “Team Great Britain, Northern Ireland, Channel Isles, the Isle of Man, and Overseas UK Territories” out loud should count as an Olympic sport in its own right.