Gibraltar relaunches bid to compete under its own flag at the Olympics after overcoming historic Spanish protests in international football

GIBRALTAR is once again bidding for recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to compete under its own flag.

All Gibraltarian national sporting associations voted unanimously to reconstitute the Gibraltarian Olympic Committee (GOC) last Friday as a first step.

“Achieving IOC recognition would mark a transformative achievement for Gibraltar, allowing its athletes to compete under Gibraltar’s flag at the Olympic Games,” the Gibraltar Chronicle quoted the GOC as saying.

“The GOC will work collaboratively with national and international stakeholders to advance this bid and demonstrate Gibraltar’s readiness to contribute to the global Olympic community.

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“This unanimous vote reflects the shared determination of Gibraltar’s sporting community to build a brighter future for our athletes and to reaffirm our commitment to the Olympic ideals of excellence, friendship, and respect.”

Gibraltar has faced consistent challenges in gaining recognition from the IOC.

Currently, Gibraltar athletes must compete under the flag of Great Britain  – although none have yet done so.

The restriction comes despite the fact that fellow British Overseas Territories Bermuda and the Cayman Islands have been competing at the Olympics under their own flag since 1936 and 1962 respectively.

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Gibraltar first applied to the IOC in the early 1990s, arguing that it met the criteria through the Gibraltar Sports and Leisure Authority, its well-established local sports body.

But Spain objected that recognising Gibraltar as an independent NOC would imply recognition of its sovereignty, having already banned any Gibraltar athlete from competing on its soil in 1985.

A 1996 rule change which required new NOCs to represent sovereign states recognised by the United Nations finally ended the British Overseas Territory’s recognition bid.

At the time, Gibraltar had not yet gained membership in key international sports federations like UEFA or FIFA, which are often seen as indicators of an entity’s readiness to participate at the Olympic level.

Gibraltar applied for UEFA membership in 1999, but once again faced strong opposition from Spain, who argued that Gibraltar’s inclusion would set a precedent for other disputed territories.

But the tiny territory finally won a powerful advocate for its recognition in international football in the shape of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

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Gibraltar took their case to the CAS, who ruled in 2006 that Gibraltar met the necessary criteria at the time of its application and instructed UEFA to admit Gibraltar as a provisional member. 

However, political pressure delayed Gibraltar’s full membership, which was only granted in 2013 after persistent legal battles.

The Rock then pursued membership of FIFA, which, as with UEFA, initially rejected the application on the grounds of its non-sovereign status.

But the CAS once again stepped in and ruled in 2016 that FIFA’s refusal was unjustified under its own statutes. Gibraltar was admitted as FIFA’s 211th member.

The CAS has also recommended that the IOC recognise the Gibraltarian Olympic Committee – but so far it has used its discretion not to do so.