Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson says every Team GB athlete must know UK national anthem
Hugh Robertson, the Olympics minister, has said in a statement that all the athletes participating in the upcoming London 2012 Olympic Games should know the words of the national anthem of the Great Britain.
Having gone public with such a comment, Robertson has in effect showed his stance over the issue of the ‘Plastic Brits’ that is currently prevailing in the Team GB.
Team GB has been criticised in the past for importing athletes from countries with whom the United Kingdom has the slightest of the technical affinity in order to gain more medals in the Olympic Games.
However, Robertson has asserted that this is not the case and the importing of athletes will not be allowed in the London 2012 Olympic Games which are scheduled to commence from July 27 and last till August 12.
While speaking with the Press Association Sport, Robertson expressed himself in the following manner, “If you are going to represent Britain at the Olympics then I think it is sensible to know the words of the national anthem. I would say that would be even
more necessary if you think you are going to win a medal. I am pretty clear on this issue – anyone who wants to compete for Great Britain must go hold a British passport or go through the full naturalisation process. What I am against is giving special treatment
to people simply to allow them to compete for this country.”
The matter of the ‘Plastic Brits’ has come into the lime light when Tiffany Porter, who is an American born hurdler but will be representing England in the upcoming Olympic Games, was made the British captain of the athletics indoor world championships.
The authenticity and the logic of the captaincy was challenged by asking Porter to say the words of ’God Save The Queen’. As a response, Porter made the insistence that she know the first lines of the national anthem of the United Kingdom. Porter holds a dual
nationality as her mother is a British national.
Porter is not the only one who falls into the category of the ‘Plastic Brits’, other s include Yamile Aldama and Shana Cox.
Tags: