Minister of State for Sport Jack Chambers has written to the International Gymnastics Federation on behalf of the gymnast Rhys McClenaghan asking for him to be allowed to compete at the Commonwealth Games for Northern Ireland.
Mr McClenaghan and two fellow athletes, Eamon Montgomery and Ewan McAteer, have been told they cannot represent Northern Ireland at the Games, which are being held in Birmingham this year.
The refusal is because all three have represented Ireland in the Olympics. Other sports organisations, including the Commonwealth Games of Northern Ireland and Sport NI, plan to appeal the ruling made by the gymnastics federation.
Mr McClenaghan competed for Ireland at the Tokyo Olympics. He won gold for Northern Ireland at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on his best discipline of the pommel course.
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In his letter to the federation, Mr Chambers raised the issues in his role as Minister for Sport and asked the federation to reconsider its decision.
“It is very disappointing that the International Gymnastics Federation has ruled that they may not continue to do so in next year’s Commonwealth Games. In the case of Rhys McClenaghan in particular, this ruling means that he cannot defend his pommel horse gold medal,” Mr Chambers has written.
The argument underlying the appeal is that Northern-born athletes have a unique status vis-a-vis the two jurisdictions, a status that has been underlined by the Belfast Agreement.
When the news came through last Friday, Mr McClenaghan posted on social media: “I was born in Northern Ireland, my residence is in Northern Ireland and I represented and won Gold for Northern Ireland in the last Commonwealth Games.
“I feel that [the federation] does not understand the gravity of the Belfast Agreement and the unique situation pertaining to Northern Ireland.
“Every other sport understand the eligibility of Northern Irish athletes in accordance with Commonwealth Games.”
