Scotland warned against Olympic plan

Updated 13.17 Sun May 20 2007
Keywords: Sir Craig Reedie, Scottish National Party, Great Britain, britain, Alex Salmond, Scotland, Olympics, sport

First Minister Alex Salmond's aim to create a separate Scotland team at the Olympics seems doomed to failure.

The Scottish National Party leader is expected to consult the country's national sporting governing bodies on the issue.

"You only get a national Olympic committee when it's granted to you by the IOC" - Sir Craig Reedie

He said: "We haven't discussed it yet as a cabinet or as a government, but it's certainly a good idea."

However, the former British Olympic Association chairman Sir Craig Reedie believes it is not possible unless Scotland becomes an independent nation.

Sir Craig said: "The International Olympic Committee charter says that to take part in an Olympic Games you must have a national Olympic committee.

"You only get a national Olympic committee when it's granted to you by the IOC. When Scotland is an independent nation, I am 99.999% sure the IOC will grant them an NOC, but not before then. Until then, no Scottish athlete is disadvantaged by the current situation."

Scotland is recognised as a separate nation by football's world governing body FIFA, and the Commonwealth Games Federation, but there has never been a Scotland team at the Olympics as the country has always competed as part of Great Britain.

Sir Craig added: "My view as an ex-chairman of the BOA is that this has been rattling around for a long time.

"It's become more of an issue recently due to the refusal of the Scottish Football Association to get involved in a British football team for the Olympics.

"The Scottish National Party's standing is such that they have an advantage of just one seat in parliament, and that doesn't make them an independent nation."

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