to think that if you're in Team GB you should sing the national anthem

[ClaireFromWork]

Ddail Mail I'm afraid but honestly, if you're in a team that represents the United Kingdom then surely you should be prepared to sing it. Esp if you're captain of the team.

linky

Also agree that calling it the English team in the commentary is v.v. poor.

Just not an issue IMO.

I do think there should be a different anthem for England and for GB.

Loads of sports people don't sign their anthems, I think it is fairly common, but I also thing that Ryan Giggs looked less than happy to be there last night.

They should compete as independents if they don't want to sing the anthem. But then they wouldn't get all that lottery cash.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Olympics_Black_Power_salute

The white guy supported them because he thought their issue was more important than a ceremony
He was right
Why not Scottish/Welsh independence (which I don't support) or republicanism (which I do)?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Olympics_Black_Power_salute

Yeah, I'm sure the organizers would be thrilled if half their people walked up and said they were competing as independents. Cos we wouldn't look like a failure of a country at all if that happened ...

They're not elected to represent what the anthem stands for. They're chosen because they are very, very good at what they do and to give us an opportunity to feel proud of our country.

There IS a different anthem for England and GB. The English team use Land Of Hope And Glory during the Commonwealth Games.

So the DM didn't bother to check if Giggs sings the Welsh anthem when he's playing for Wales? That's a bit lazy.

Either GB/the UK or England should have a different national anthem - as Wales and Scotland do - they should not be the same.

I am British and I am Welsh - but I would only sing the Welsh National Anthem as I percieve "God Save our Queen" to be the English anthem, as it is adopted by the English (in the absence of their own).

Ryan Giggs is Welsh but I think I am right in saying he has lived in England for most of his life and therefore would not have learnt the Welsh National Anthem in school, which is where I learnt it (or to speak welsh, which is very difficult), so I have some sympathy for him (in this respect!).

YABU, I refuse to sing the national anthem. I do not believe in god, and do not care for our monarchy. So why I would sing 'god save the queen' is beyond me

Does the ability to sing a song some how improve their performance? If not then I couldn't care less if they sing it or not. As long as they have the choice not to sing it without being slagged off for using that right.

Denise34 - competing as independents rather misses the fundamental point of the Olympics, which is wholly about national pride isn't it?

So either you're proud to represent your country and get on with it or you save your protests for another time.

I always reckoned if you're a republican atheist it'd be great to sing 'god save the queen', since meaningless.

But I get what youu mean.

Actually, other than "God save the Queen", I would be hard pressed to find the words to the national anthem anyway without googling them. I'd have to go "tra la la" to the rest!

Stranded I wouldn't sing it either (don't even know the words for it)

Good Point hiviolet. Id forgotten that one. Why dont the english use that for everything (ie other sporting events) then?

The English British anthem is just not sung in Wales. I've never heard it sung at any event locally, in schools, at sporting events. It just doesn't get sung. Wales has an anthem, which everyone except certain politicians knows and sings at events. I don't think therefore that its a big shock that Welsh and Scottish people don't relate to God Save the Queen as 'their' anthem.

I agree that making a political point seems odd and somewhat inappropriate. But actually Scottish and Welsh players don't have a choice to play for Scotland or Wales, it just GB. So unless she doesn't want to take part, she has to be part of the GB team.

And YY to the amount of times the GB sportspeople have been referred to as England by the media!!!

I don't have such a problem with Giggs. It's Kim Little doing it (or rather not doing it) to make a political point which sticks in my craw.

hiviolet - that is the only time that they do. Hence GSTQ being viewed as the English anthem. Think about an England / Wales or England / Scotland match - its GSTQ played for the England team then.

Yes, people in other countries well Greece, anyway are always amazed when I inform them that no, Wales and Scotland are not just areas of England

Why do England only sing land of hope and glory at the commonwealth games, why not use that all the times.

I think to sing GSTQ as both England and GB you can understand why it is thought of as the English team, or why people think Scotland is a place in England (admittedly slightly dense people but still!)

JuliaScurr - if she thinks that her issue is bigger than the games then she shouldn't be in Team GB. She's a hypocrite.

What Smith & Carlos did WAS bigger than the OG because it was a global cause for racial equality. (although I do still feel uneasy about any kind of political statement in these circumstances. Sport for sports sake please.)

I think with the Commonwealth Games its different because technically the Queen is still Head of State for some Commonwealth countries and also Head of the Commonwealth so GSTQ would apply to all of the countries involved through her status as Head of the Commonwealth.

Really alexpolismum, my experience has always been that usually people abroad become much warmer toward you when they discover you are from Scotland!