Commonwealth Games chiefs threaten to ditch ‘offensive’ Northern Ireland flag

Northern Ireland's Uslter Banner could beryllium ditched astatine 2026 Commonwealth games (Image: Getty)

Northern Ireland athletes could beryllium competing nether a antithetic emblem aft a connection to alteration the Ulster Banner is being debated.

Leading Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland (CWGNI) chiefs judge the banner is nary longer suitable for use, arsenic it is “found violative by parts of the community”.

The unofficial emblem of Northern Ireland displays the reddish manus of Ulster, which has been utilized arsenic a loyalist symbol, placed connected apical of a St George’s transverse with a crown for the monarchy.

NI Commonwealth Games main Conal Heatley and president Stephen Martin are alternatively pushing for the instauration of an wholly caller emblem to correspond the state astatine the games successful Glasgow.

The Ulster Banner was primitively designed successful 1923, going connected to go the authoritative emblem of the erstwhile Government of Northern Ireland from 1953 until it was abolished successful 1973. However, the emblem is inactive wide utilized to correspond athletes successful planetary sports.

The 2022 Commonwealth Games saw athletes proudly question the Ulster Banner (Image: Getty)

Controversy surrounds the banner for Catholics and Republicans who wanted Northern Ireland to permission the United Kingdom and unite the republic of Ireland.

CWGNI officials person called upon the Stormont Executive to make a caller emblem which is successful enactment with their findings of a 2020 study connected flags, identity, civilization and traditions.

The study states that immoderate aboriginal Northern Ireland emblem should beryllium designed by elected politicians and should beryllium “representative of the diverseness of our society, including our caller communities”.

If the Ulster Banner is removed, officials would person lone until 2026 to plan a caller one, which is erstwhile the games are held.

The emblem is wide utilized to correspond athletes successful planetary sports (Image: Getty)

According to reports successful the Belfast Telegraph, If the NI enforcement does not found a caller emblem successful time, the CWGNI said it would taxable a achromatic emblem with the organisation’s logo connected it instead.

Mr Heatley said: “We’ve fixed radical just warning, we’ve told them this is what we’re going to do,

“We’ve gone retired and spoken to groups similar the NI Youth Forum, and they don’t recognise the Ulster Banner, it means thing to them. They would similar a emblem that everybody tin get behind, but thing that is inclusive. There hasn’t been immoderate pushback,” helium said.