to think it should be team UK not team GB

[bluepears]

they represent the United kingdom as people from northern Ireland compete for team gb (and yes i know isle of man and channel islands do aswell) so the term uk would not accurately describe our team but it would be more correct than team GB

Just wait for the Commonwealth Games - all the nations have their own team. Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man have their own team too.

Surely it should just be the country name, same as at the UN etc. Which, afaik, is UK.

kp Why don't they have their own teams at the Olympics?

I'm not from the UK, so I don't understand it.

You can call these islands what the hell you like as long as you don't include the Republic of Ireland in any Britishness.

I call it the British Isles and Ireland. or Alternatively you can call it these islands.

@bluepears Ulster is a province in the island of Ireland consisting of 9 counties. 6 of which are in Northern Ireland, 3 in the Republic of Ireland.

Of course it exists.

Ireland is a country in it's own right.
It is not part of G.B., U.K or the British Isles.

Even though the Irish hate being part of the British Isles!

We just don't call it that, and neither does anyone but the Brits.

@gimmesomeapachepizza exactly

Hello to all the Channel Islanders! Not one myself, but love holidaying there :)

Could we call the "British Isles" the East Atlantic Islands? I guess that might also include Iceland!

As for Team GB, it was an issue at the London Olympics too. Goodness knows why we can't just be Team UK.

After WW2 I believe Alderney was offered the chance to become part of Hampshire, but opted to remain in the Bailiwick of Guernsey. You get quite a lot of Channel Islanders competing as part of Hampshire in some sports, and I believe traditionally Manx athletes have competed for Merseyside, but not last year, when they sent their own team to the English Schools athletics championships.

It's all very confusing but also very interesting.

They already have a name, the Western European Isles. Or you can call them the Islands of the North Atlantic (IONA).

I'd have no issues with East Atlantic Isles (EAI), but I think there is already a geographical definition.

As for Team GB, it was an issue at the London Olympics too. Goodness knows why we can't just be Team UK.

Erm, because some of the althletes aren’t from the UK?

IONA is cool except Britain is not in North Atlantic. What about Anglo-Celt Isles?

Just wait for the Commonwealth Games - all the nations have their own team. Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man have their own team too.

And often people change the country they compete for, I remember on where the commentator was talking about twins, I think swimmers who had previously represented Scotland but now one was representing England and another Wales

@LivLemler Hear hear. @TheIcon is either ignorant or being extremely goady!

No, it doesn't. Great Britain is a single island amongst the thousands of islands in the British Isles. The Isle of Wight, the Isle of Anglesey and the Orkney Islands (and many other islands) are not part of Great Britain.

not true it includes the islands that are part of England Scotland or wales such as ilses of white and
by your logic portsea island would not be part of great Britian.
www.britannica.com/story/whats-the-difference-between-great-britain-and-the-united-kingdom

Your source says "Great Britain, therefore, is a geographic term referring to the island also known simply as Britain."

by your logic portsea island would not be part of great Britian
Geographically, it's not.

it is' Great Britain is the official collective name of of England, Scotland and Wales and their associated islands. It does not include Northern Ireland and therefore should never be used interchangeably with ‘UK’ – something you see all too often.' you are simply wrong www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/blog/2011/08/whats-the-difference-between-uk-britain-and-british-isles/

Erm, because some of the althletes aren’t from the UK?

If they are from GB how are they not?

Geographically, Portsea is not part of Great Britain.
'Great Britain' is frequently used as a political collective term for England, Scotland and Wales, including their respective islands.

If they are from GB how are they not?

They aren’t all from GB, that’s the subject of the post. And Gb and UK aren’t interchangeable terms anyway.

Peter Kennaugh won gold at the Olympics for Team GB. He is Manx, he is neither from GB or the U.K.

If I was an Olympian standard anything (shame they don’t do crisp eating). I would compete for “team GB”

My passport says “British Islands Isle of Man”

It also says “the holder is not entitled to benefit from EU provisions relating to employment or establishment”

I don’t think there will ever be a name everyone is happy with that isn’t a paragraph long, so I propose “Team Dave”

They aren’t all from GB, that’s the subject of the post. And Gb and UK aren’t interchangeable terms anyway

Yes, but at least Team UK would be a lot more inclusive than team GB. How are you going to fit Isle of Man into ANY name?