Question about British federation

[Ptichka]

I have a question perhaps to our British posters. In football aka soccer, England, Scotland and Wales all have their separate teams playing. However, in figure skating, it's "British" team. How does it get determined which sports get a "British" team and which get English, Scottish and Welsh? Also, since it's "Great Britain" as opposed to "United Kingdom" - does it mean that Northern Ireland does/ could have its own federation?

[janetfan]

I have a question perhaps to our British posters. In football aka soccer, England, Scotland and Whales all have their separate teams playing. However, in figure skating, it's "British" team. How does it get determined which sports get a "British" team and which get English, Scottish and Welsh? Also, since it's "Great Britain" as opposed to "United Kingdom" - does it mean that Northern Ireland does/ could have its own federation?

Northern Ireland does indeed compete as a separate nation in football just as Scotland and Wales do.

I once asked an English friend about this and he looked at me like i was crazy. But the only answer he gave was that it was tradition.
I am pretty sure that it is the same in rugby but don't know if/why it is different in skating.

[Ptichka]

Oh, I know N. Ireland has its own football team. It's just that N. Ireland is a part of United Kingdom, but not a part of Great Britain (correct me if I'm wrong here). So, given that figure skating team represents "Great Britain", it would stand to reason that N. Ireland would have its own.

[Mathman]

Interesting question. The official name of the association, listed as GBR in ISU membership lists, is "National Ice Skating Association of UK LTD" (abbreviated NISA). According to their web site

http://www.iceskating.org.uk/

they have 6 regional centers, each supported by several local skating clubs. These are all in England (including one in Cornwall) -- none in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland.

The Kerrs, however, list their home club as Murrayfield in Edinburgh (I think they are training in the U.S. now?)

By the way, Ireland was just admitted this year as a member of the ISU.

[janetfan]

Interesting question. The official name of the association, listed as GBR in ISU membership lists, is "National Ice Skating Association of UK LTD" (abbreviated NISA). According to their web site

http://www.iceskating.org.uk/

they have 6 regional centers, each supported by several local skating clubs. These are all in England (including one in Cornwall) -- none in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland.

The Kerrs, however, list their home club as Murrayfield in Edinburgh (I think they are training in the U.S. now?)

By the way, Ireland was just admitted this year as a member of the ISU.

Hmmm....do the Kerr's represent Scotland, or England, the UK, etc?
I never thought about it before......

[Ptichka]

OK, just found this - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3166 - that explains that it's standard for "GBR" to refer to the whole of UK.

[C_T_T_]

Hmmm....do the Kerr's represent Scotland, or England, the UK, etc?
I never thought about it before......

The Kerr's are Scotish and therfore represent GBR.

As to your original question Ptichka, I actually don't know! Northern Ireland is especially complicated eg. we represent britain in skating, Northern Ireland in football and Ireland in rugby and cricket!