Quote (dro94 @ Aug 21 2016 08:32pm)
They're not completely independent, but Belgium or any other member state isn't completely independent from the overreaching EU, is it? But you'd still consider it a country wouldn't you? Put your own views into perspective, you are not using very sound reasoning.
So, it comes down to what degree of independence you consider sufficient for it to deserve independent representation in the Olympic Games and other such events.
Even so, this doesn't really make sense to me. Places like Greenland, Åland, Gibraltar and the Faroe Islands have a much higher degree of independence than Wales does. Hell, they're even formally treated as sovereign states by the UN. And yet I don't hear any people defending their right to be represented independently. I think in the end, the current rule is fairly simple: if you, as a country/region/province/state, are part of a larger body that's also considered to be a country/state, your athletes will represent said larger body in international sports events.
Honestly, I think this would be a non-issue to everyone if it weren't for football, where the UK's four countries have always had their own respective national teams, and nobody has ever done anything about this because of sheer reverence.