Anyone Please Explain?

[liverpoolfoo]

Hi Folks wondering if anyone knows why in cricket the team is The West Indies (Made up of players from different w/indian island's) Yet in the olympic games it is Islands competing I.E. Jamica, Barbados, Antigua. etc etc....So why do they not compete as the west indies at the olympics? Any help

[Buenchico]

Each of the islands is a proudly independent nation. The idea of, say, Jamaica teaming up with Barbados and Antigua for sporting events is a bit like expecting the UK to team up with France and Germany to enter a combined team in the Olympics.

However, the individual islands don't have large enough populations to field a cricket team at Test match level. So they field a joint team to enable them to do so. Even the name is inaccurate though, because Bermuda (which contributes players to the team) is nowhere the West Indies!

Things aren't so different here either (except that they seem to be reversed). For example we field separate cricket teams for England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, whereas the 'England' team includes Wales. At the same time we have a United Kingdom team competing in many sporting events. In the Olympics we field a team called 'Great Britain' but include athletes from Northern Ireland (which isn't in Great Britain), even though those same athletes can compete for Ireland if they choose to do so. Nothing's ever simple, is it? ;-)

Chris

[liverpoolfoo]

Glad you explained that chris it's much clearer now. But like you say nothing's ever simple lol & Many thanks for the help

[mariner2]

I though Northern Ireland was part of Great Britain?
The Republic's not, it's part of the Britsh isles though . .

[Prescott]

Quite correct Mariner !!

[elgreco]

Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. Great Britain only includes England Scotland and Wales

[TCL-MUMPING]

Northern Ireland is not part of Great Britain, it's part of the UK. With regards to the "England" cricket team, while it is the England and Wales Cricket Board, it is a team for the UK and not just the English or Welsh.

[TCL-MUMPING]

The British Olympic Association says "Team GB is the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic Team. " Why then is it not Team UK?

[Prescott]

Sorry guys -but you are wrong.

It makes up the largest part of the territory of the sovereign state the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the term Great Britain is sometimes used INACCURATELY to mean the United Kingdom. England, Scotland and Wales are mostly situated on the island, along with their capital cities, London, Edinburgh and Cardiff respectively.

[TCL-MUMPING]

Who is wrong?

[Prescott]

See :-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_britain

[TCL-MUMPING]

Who are you saying is wrong?

[LFCFan5]

Hello fellow Liverpool fan, did u enjoy the game? Come on Man City. If man u (god it hurts to even type the flippin thing) do lose watch Fergy come out & try & rattle Rafa & blame him 4 it in some way lol, wot a tw&t.