INDEPENDENCE FIRST SUPPORTS SCOTTISH OLYMPIC TEAM CAMPAIGN

At a recent general meeting of Independence First the Campaign for a Referendum on Independence (Glasgow 20th November) Joe Middleton, Press Officer of the campaign spoke in favour of C-ScOT the campaign for a Scottish Olympic team. He said “This campaign is extremely important. Our right to independent representation at sporting events is a part of the bigger struggle for normal national status for Scotland.”

“Scotland should not only have a national football and rugby team, we also need our own Olympic team to give our nation the chance to compete on equal terms with the rest of the world.”

Some Scots athletes in evidence to the House of Commons said that they could not have won medals on their own without the backing of the British team.

Shirley Robertson, the double Olympic gold medalist said “If you speak to all our top athletes they’ll tell you they would not have won anything if they had just been competing for Scotland because you need the resources of a bigger team, you need the expertise and the confidence that being part of a bigger team brings.”

Mr Middleton commented: ”Scotland is not any smaller than a lot of other countries and whether we win or not, our athletes should have the opportunity to represent their country and fly their own flag.”

“Scotland can do a lot better than the Commonwealth games and it is disappointing when anyone, no matter who they are, suggests we can’t. We need a more positive vision of Scotland for our youth. It’s not about how many medals we win it’s about having pride in our own country.”

Independence First is the national campaign for a referendum on independence for Scotland. Since it’s launch earlier this year the campaign has received support from former SSP leader Tommy Sheridan, SNP MSP’s, the Celtic League, Free Scotland Party, Scottish Independence Party and David R Ross the Scottish historian. The campaign has also received official support from the Scottish Green Party.

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