The Commonwealth games OR The Olympics - Essay Example

Olympics and Great Britain Football team In of history and also during many occasions particularly during Olympics, the separate nationalidentities of English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish have coexisted with the British identity. “The overlap between British and English identity is clearly evident in sport” (Houlihan 1997). However, there are differences of opinion to this concept among those nations, especially regarding the fielding of a combined Great Britain Football team in London Olympics 2012.

There is decline in the proportion of people who thought of themselves as primarily British and a growing proportion of people who thought of themselves as Scottish, Welsh or English rather than British. (Heath and Roberts). In the Olympic Games, a combined team called Great Britain comprising England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales is only fielded in all sports disciplines. This has been the case in all the previous Olympics, and will be case in the upcoming London Olympics in 2012.

“Team GB will have a chance to shine again, this time on home soil, when the next Olympics comes to London” (Berkmoes 2009). People will normally back this combination or team, thereby reinforcing their belief in Britishness. “When an England team (or athlete) fails to qualify…, the media quickly appropriates other British or Irish teams as ours.” (Smith and Porter 2004). However, the British identity gets changed according to the situations. The current issue which again reinforces the clash in identities is the decision about fielding a combined football team in the London Olympics.

With a combined Great Britain team participating in every Olympic event, it should be the case with the football event as well. So, sections of population including even the former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown proposed the idea of fielding a combined Great Britain football team, with players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. “Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who is Scottish, has already jumped on board and suggested that another Scot, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, could coach the team.

” (Silva 2009). However, this arrangement is not welcomed by the Scottish, Irish and Welsh football associations, who opined that having a combined team will negatively impact the individuality of each nation. Gordon Smith, Chief executive of the Scottish FA, had this to say “Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland have always been autonomous where football is concerned and that is the way it should remain” (guardian.co.uk 2009). They have also threatened their players with bans, if they play for such a combined Great Britain team.

They also feared that by playing as part of a combined team under the auspices of England FA, their rights to enter their own teams in international competitions could be lost. (Endersby 2008). There was also support for Scotland’s stance from Europe’s football governing body, UEFA. UEFA general secretary David Taylor said that a British Olympic football side could be fatal for the Scottish national teams continued existence. (bbc.co.uk 2008). With this impasse continuing, it was revealed that UEFA has given the green light for Great Britain and Northern Ireland to field an Under-23 football team, however with no support from Northern Irish, Scottish and Welsh Football Associations, it will be an all-English side competing in London.

(Harris 2010). That is, an England football team will represent Great Britain at the Olympics, with the other four countries agreeing not to block the idea. “A joint letter has been sent to FIFA, saying that Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales would have no involvement…goes on to say they would not prevent England from fielding a team.” (bbc.co.uk 2009).Referencesbbc.co.uk 2008, Uefa chief warns against GB team, viewed on November 17, 2010 http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/7586869.stmbbc.co.

uk 2009, Nations pave way for 2012 GB team, viewed on November 17, 2010http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympic_games/8072981.stmBerkmoes, RV 2009, Western Europe, Lonely Planet.Endersby, A 2008, UK Football team for the 2012 Olympics, Debatabase, viewed on November 17, 2010http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/topic_details.php?topicID=801guardian.co.uk 2009, Big debate: should Great Britain enter a football team at London 2012? The Guardian, viewed on November 17, 2010 http://www.guardian.co.

uk/sport/2008/aug/27/olympicsfootball.scotlandfootball teamHarris, H 2010, Pearce in contention to land GB Olympic post, viewed on November 17, 2010 http://footballnet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=840028&cc=4716Houlihan, B 1997, Sport, National Identity and Public Policy, Nations and “ Nationalism, Vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 113–137Heath, A and Roberts, J. 2008, British identity: its sources and possible implications for civic attitudes and behaviour, viewed on November 17, 2010 http://www.justice.gov.uk/reviews/docs/british-identity.

pdfSilva, LT 2009, British Parliament threatens independence of Scottish, Welsh and Irish Football Associations, say critics, viewed on November 17, 2010 http://footballpaper.com/edition/?p=337Smith, A and Porter, D. 2004, Sport and national identity in the post-war world, Routledge, London.