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Introducing the Welsh Olympic Team
What it could mean if Cymru were to compete independently
Imagine this: Geraint Thomas and Jade Jones, waving the Welsh flag as they lead their nation’s procession at the opening ceremony. An all-Welsh team of athletes and competitors trail behind, struggling to contain their excitement as they smile for the cameras.
Throughout the coming weeks, our medal-winning heroes stand tall upon their podiums, Y Ddraig Goch flying high as we proudly bellow along to “Mae Hen Wlad fy Nhadau” (those of us who may baulk at the opening notes of “God Save the Queen” are also spared the red, white and blue insult of Empire).
It’s a lovely thought. But the cold hard fact remains, so the argument goes, we couldn’t possibly be as successful if we didn’t combine our sporting might with the other nations of the UK.
True, we would have celebrated those individual medals all the same: cheering for Jade Jones as she picked up gold in London and again in Rio, or for David Davies as he swam 10k for silver in Beijing. Becky James would still have won her sprint if she were clad in red, just as Colin Jackson would have earned his silver in Seoul (though, might we imagine him achieving what seemed like a world record holder’s destiny, if we are rewriting the past?).
But would Jamie Baulch and Iwan Thomas have still brought home their 4x400m relay silvers from Atlanta? Geraint Thomas was as likely to win 2 cycling team pursuit golds by himself as Cubby Boi was to tackle his way to the rugby 7s final without teammates.
Would we really want to deprive our team stars of these medals, won through collaborating with the other nations that make up Team GB?
Another perspective
For me, we need to approach the issue from a new angle. Of course, I concede that if Wales were to compete as an independent nation, Tom James may not have won 2 gold medals in the coxless four — it’s unlikely he would have won a medal at all. If Wales produced better rowers than those alongside him, they would have been there in their places.
But he wouldn’t have been alone. He would have had new teammates, representing Team Cymru, but we’ll never know who they may have been…
