The Football Association plans to enter men's and women's Great Britain teams for the 2016 Olympics.

 

It had ruled out such a move but has now written to its counterparts in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales to ask them if they want to take part.

 

A British Olympic Association official revealed it had "received confirmation" of the FA's plan for Rio de Janeiro.

 

Both GB teams would have to qualify. Football's world governing body Fifa would also have to sanction the move.

 

England would need to finish in the top four at the European Under-21 Championship for the men to qualify.

 

For the women, England would need to be one of the top three European teams at the World Cup in Canada.

 

Both tournaments take place this summer.

 

Several players from the home nations featured for GB at the London 2012 Games despite Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland refusing to give their official backing.

 

 

 

 

and it begins again..

At least we're safe from being a bankrupt country after the oil price fell because of our union with the UK. 

What a surprise. This is exactly what everyone who opposed Team GB said would happen but the the apologists said would not. As Olympic qualifying for Europe uses the results of U21 teams this will hopefully be killed of swiftly or could see the end of national team.

What a surprise. This is exactly what everyone who opposed Team GB said would happen but the the apologists said would not. As Olympic qualifying for Europe uses the results of U21 teams this will hopefully be killed of swiftly or could see the end of national team.

 

National football teams should be the preservation of sovereign nations. It's embarrassing and a sham that provinces like Scotland and Wales are allowed to compete on the national stage.

National football teams should be the preservation of sovereign nations. It's embarrassing and a sham that provinces like Scotland and Wales are allowed to compete on the national stage.

 

Probably a fair point.

This got shelved, thankfully.

 

Thankfully? But that's what all you no voters vosted for! 

National football teams should be the preservation of sovereign nations. It's embarrassing and a sham that provinces like Scotland and Wales are allowed to compete on the national stage.

W.T.F?

National football teams should be the preservation of sovereign nations. It's embarrassing and a sham that provinces like Scotland and Wales are allowed to compete on the national stage.

 

The joke is that football is an Olympic sport.

 

Far as I remember the Olympics was meant to be for 'amateur' athletes but that's gone out of the window with mainstream sports such as Football, Rugby, Baseball, Basketball, Ice Hockey, Tennis etc being included either currently or in the past.

 

Only mainstream sport that I can think of that still keeps the amateur status for the games is Boxing. They usually wait until they win a medal before selling out to the likes of Don King (is he still alive?)

 

 

Tom, sadly I think most of them are "amateur" in name only.

Tom, sadly I think most of them are "amateur" in name only.

True, but for sports like athletics and swimming, this is their ultimate showcase.

 

Football, tennis, golf etc already have their own thing, there's no need at all to be encroaching on the Olympics.

Agreed G_G, surprised we haven't had motor racing included yet!

Agreed G_G, surprised we haven't had motor racing included yet!

 

Genuinely, I am. Ecclestone seems to love whoring it out to everything.

I'd bin sports like Football from the Olympics. Basically any sport that sees the Olympics as a relatively minor event. Tennis is a grey area because if they upped the ranking points available the importance would increase and by all accounts all the top players really want to win.