'Attack on ordinary people!' Panel fumes over Team GB's altering of the Union Flag for the Paris Olympics

'Attack on ordinary people!' Panel fumes over Team GB's altering of the Union Flag for the Paris Olympics

The panel was left fuming over the change

GB News
Gabrielle Wilde

By Gabrielle Wilde


Published: 02/04/2024

- 11:12

Team GB has been accused of ‘defacing’ the Union Flag by turning it pink and purple for Paris Olympics

Simon Evans, Nick Dixon and Paul Cox were left fuming as they discussed Team GB's altering of the Union Jack for the Paris Olympics.

Designers for the team branded the red, white and blue colours of the flag as “not unique" and have changed the colour scheme to pink and purple.


The move has been criticised heavily and comes in the wake of the row over the St George’s Cross on England’s football shirt.

Speaking on GB News comedian Nick Dixon said: "It's the flag. Stop changing the flag. They think they can just do what they want with the flag. Who are these people?

The Union Jack has been changed for Team GBThe Union Jack has been changed for Team GBTwitter

Simon Evans explained: "I know the origins of our flag. It is the three national flags that were joined together in the Union. It's not just made up by some design agency they think that very ancient adherence to the patron saint, is absolutely despicable.

"I just don't know what's getting into these design agencies at the moment. It does feel like significant political decisions and movements and provocations coming from the most trivial commercial sources."

Paul Cox agreed: "We're constantly talking about respecting the culture of other people. Just for a moment, could we just accept our culture?"

Nick added: "it's designed to wind people up. It's a phobia. It's an attack on the ordinary people.

"People like Starmer will say that it is terrible. That's all the sort of theatre there is. They're all part of it. It's a hatred of the ordinary person who's patriotic.

"Even Peter Shilton is saying nothing is sacred.

"Because the average person has a preference for one's own family and country, which is entirely natural and normal."

The creators, on their website, said: “As with many sport brands, colour was a point of contention.

“Obviously red, white and blue is synonymous with Great Britain, but it’s far from unique, with nations such as France and USA also sporting the same colours.

“We needed to find a way of refreshing Team GB’s colour palette in a way that is both flexible and ownable.”

Malcolm Farrow, president of the Flag Institute, a UK flag promotion charity established in 1971, told The Sun “I don’t approve of our national symbol of unity being defaced.

“People have every right to be upset with Team GB. They need to remember brave men fought for this flag and died while protecting it. Changing it is bordering on an insult to them.

“To do something like this in places like India, Greece or Turkey would have serious consequences.”

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