Tricolour ban for Irish gymnasts
A council row has broken out over the flying of the Irish flag at a gymnastics competition in Newry.
The Irish National Gymnastics Association tournament this weekend can play the Irish national anthem, but not fly the Irish flag, the council said.
Sinn Fein’s Pat McGinn said councillors opposed to the move had “failed miserably” to promote tolerance.
UUP councillor Danny Kennedy said he did not want to see the council “naively used” by political elements.
Mr McGinn said, as a former mayor, he had attended events when the union flag was flown and the “British national anthem was played”.
“It’s sad that we have a national sporting championship and what we are doing is bringing it into a more complex row. We’ve turned it purely politically,” he said.
Mr McGinn accused opponents of the proposal of referring to “foreigners” during the debate.
Danny Kennedy denied the remarks were made, and said the issue was a “pre-election stampede” by Sinn Fein.
“The Irish national anthem is not the anthem of this part of the UK. In my view it won’t promote good relations,” he said.
Ciaran Gallagher, head of the Irish National Gymnastics Association, said he was disappointed.
“It’s an international sport, it does not have some of the social and political connotations that maybe other sports in Northern Ireland have,” he said.
“This is the first time we have ever encountered it in our organisation in relation to one of our events so it’s kind of confusing and upsetting.”
