Boxer from N Ireland on Irish Olympic team

MJ23 · 08-08-2012 09:44AM #1

Why is there a boxer from the North on Irish Olympic team?

08-08-2012 09:45AM

The olympic council of ireland is an all Ireland body.
/thread

Where To · 08-08-2012 09:45AM

And we're off!!!

alastair · 08-08-2012 09:46AM

Because they're Irish?

More to the point - have we culled all those Cork athletes from Team Ireland yet?

Crooked Jack · 08-08-2012 09:47AM

About 20 per cent of the Irish team is from the north. Seems about proportional given that the north is about 20 per cent of the country

Tipsy McSwagger · 08-08-2012 09:49AM

Wayne McCullough?

swimming in a sea · 08-08-2012 09:50AM

RobbieTheRobber wrote: »

The olympic council of ireland is an all Ireland body.
/thread

Coleraine have already won a silver and a bronze, not for team Ireland though, so how does you all Ireland body explain that?

billybudd · 08-08-2012 09:51AM

Because they are born on the Island of Ireland and have the right to represent Ireland, google is free and you can learn all sorts about history if you are ignorant of the past.

mackg · 08-08-2012 09:51AM

You should check out the thread about the signs OP!

alastair · 08-08-2012 09:52AM

Crooked Jack wrote: »

About 20 per cent of the Irish team is from the north. Seems about proportional given that the north is about 20 per cent of the country

What percentage from Croydon?

supernova84 · 08-08-2012 09:52AM

It must be great up there they get to pick and choose. Rory McIlroy will more than likely represent GB in the next Olympics.

BraziliaNZ · 08-08-2012 09:53AM

Because a lot of the people up there would rather represent us than Team Jeebee, they have a choice, simple as that.

ThisRegard · 08-08-2012 09:53AM

We've no hope of getting out of this recession on our steam if the likes of the OP are products of our education system.

gurramok · 08-08-2012 09:53AM

swimming in a sea wrote: »

Coleraine have already won a silver and a bronze, not for team Ireland though, so how does you all Ireland body explain that?

Coleraine is a country now?:eek:

policarp · 08-08-2012 09:58AM

Some of them wouldn't make it onto the GB team. . .

fishy fishy · 08-08-2012 10:00AM

MJ23 wrote: »

Why is there a boxer from the North on Irish Olympic team?

pay attention in school and you might find out.

08-08-2012 10:00AM

swimming in a sea wrote: »

Coleraine have already won a silver and a bronze, not for team Ireland though, so how does you all Ireland body explain that?

Two athlethes declared for Great britain and northern ireland over the irish olympic team, thats about it.

Just out of interest how would you explain it?

Duffy the Vampire Slayer · 08-08-2012 10:02AM

Athletes from the north have had the right to compete for either Britain or Ireland in the Olympics since 1952. A lot of northern people regard themselves as Irish and wouldn't want to compete for Britain and I'm glad they have the choice seeing as they wouldn't feel any pride in winning medals for the country that would historically be seen as their oppressor.

alastair · 08-08-2012 10:04AM

Duffy the Vampire Slayer wrote: »

Athletes from the north have had the right to compete for either Britain or Ireland in the Olympics since 1952. A lot of northern people regard themselves as Irish and wouldn't want to compete for Britain and I'm glad they have the choice seeing as they wouldn't feel any pride in winning medals for the country that would historically be seen as their oppressor.

Or they didn't make Team GB.

Ghandee · 08-08-2012 10:04AM

gurramok wrote: »

Coleraine is a country now?:eek:

Anyone that watched the recently shown docu on BBC ' the estate ' might argue its a different world.

Duffy the Vampire Slayer · 08-08-2012 10:10AM

alastair wrote: »

Or they didn't make Team GB.

Seeing as Michael Conlon has already guaranteed himself a medal, I don't think he's lacking in boxing ability. I'd say any country would be happy to have him.

ThisRegard · 08-08-2012 10:21AM

MJ23 wrote:

Why would you say that? Sure what i said is the truth. Half of them may consider themselves Irish, but they're not.
I consider myself a good singer, but im not.

Don't want to get involved in a PM debate about this so I'll keep it in the main thread. You didn't say anything, truthful or not, you asked why someone from Northern Ireland can box for Ireland.

Make a start with the Good Friday Agreement anyway which declares that anyone from Northern Ireland can identify themselves as, and be accepted as, Irish, British or both and have the right to hold both British and Irish citizenship.

Guy:Incognito · 08-08-2012 10:23AM

Tipsy McSwagger wrote: »

Wayne McCullough?

Nah, hes a bit old at 42 to have gone to another Olympics.

Plus, his brain seems to have taken a bit too much pounding "Wayne legally changed his name by deed poll to Wayne Pocket Rocket McCullough".

Sauve · 08-08-2012 10:43AM

MJ23 wrote: »

Why is there a boxer from the North on Irish Olympic team?

We'll tell you when you're old enough to understand.

Tox56 · 08-08-2012 10:49AM

Duffy the Vampire Slayer wrote: »

Seeing as Michael Conlon has already guaranteed himself a medal, I don't think he's lacking in boxing ability. I'd say any country would be happy to have him.

I don't know how the British selection system works, but in his weight class is a British boxer who won silver in the World Championships and gold in the European championships. If it was a direct competition for a place, Conlan probably wouldn't have got in.

jack presley · 08-08-2012 10:53AM

I think, and it's only a think, that regardless of a person from the North's right to choose which team he wants to be on, outside of the olympics, amateur boxing (and probably a few other sports as well) is run on an all island basis so when the Olympics comes around every 4 years, they continue to fight for the team they've been part of and training with etc. It would make no sense to switch to a different team where you don't know the set up or trainers and they don't know you

I think if it was purely a choice of Britain or Ireland, McCullough from the Shankill road would have chosen GB.

Anyone · 08-08-2012 10:53AM

How many Northern Irish athletes declared for GB in this Olympics? Only ones I know are the rowers, and the cyclist who was cut from the team(and wasnt very happy about it).

Tried googling it but cant find any answers.