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Explainer: Why are there four Olympic athletes with no country?

There’s four athletes competing under the Olympic flag, with no country to represent. Here’s how that came about.

Updated, July 30*

YOU MAY HAVE noticed in this evening’s Opening Ceremony at the 2012 Olympic Games that there are four athletes participating in this year’s games without a country.

In the ceremony tonight they walked in behind the Olympic flag itself, and – on the off-chance that they win – will have the Olympic flag, and the Olympic anthem, displayed and played.

So how’d that come about? How, in a competition of 204 nations, are there athletes without a country?

Let us explain.

Three of the four athletes would, in previous years, have represented the Netherlands Antilles – a country you might have come across because of its prowess in sprinting.

The Netherlands Antilles only ever won one medal, a silver in sailing in 1988 – but it should have been two. Churandy Martina came second to Usain Bolt in that 200m final in 2008 but the Americans had him disqualified for stepping on the boundary of his lane.

Anyway, the Netherlands Antilles are no more – in 2010 it was dissolved into two smaller countries, Curaçao and Sint Maarten, and a collection of smaller territories. The national Olympic committee tried to hang around – asking to at least remain in place until the end of the 2012 games, but no dice: the IOC kicked it out in 2011.

However, any athletes who reached the qualifying standards after this point – of where there were three (Liemarvin Bonevacia in the men’s 400m, Reginald de Windt in men’s judo, and Philipine van Aanholt in women’s sailing) – were permitted to participate, though as independent athletes competing under the IOC flag and anthem.

The fourth independent participant is Guor Marial, who is from the world’s youngest country of South Sudan. He’s 28, but hasn’t been in Sudan since 1992 when he fled the Sudanese civil war as an eight-year-old and took refuge in the United States.

He’s fast enough to qualify for the marathon – but he’s not entitled to American citizenship, meaning can’t represent the US, and would therefore have to represent Sudan. Naturally he obviously wasn’t keen to do so, having fled from the country two decades previously.

This presented some problems for the IOC – which decided, last Friday, to do the right thing. Marial will run in the men’s marathon as a stateless athlete, a refugee participating under the international flag of the Olympic games.

And really, isn’t that what it’s all about?

* Update: This piece originally – and incorrectly – stated that the three athletes from the former Netherlands Antilles had qualified for the games prior to the dissolution of that country. In fact, the three qualified after Curaçao became an independent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. We are happy to correct this error.

LIVE: London 2012, Olympic Games opening ceremony

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37 Comments
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    Mute ManUtdMan
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    Aug 9th 2016, 2:27 PM

    Breaking news / Pep Guardiola is having a medical at Manchester City today after paying £50 million for John Stones

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    Mute Dan
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    Aug 9th 2016, 2:30 PM

    Pot . . . . . Kettle . . . . . Black . . . . Im done!

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    Mute Laura Walsh
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    Aug 9th 2016, 2:33 PM

    If Pep is having one then when is Jose’s?

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    Mute Hoofedup Bravo
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    Aug 9th 2016, 2:56 PM

    Breaking news, Man Utd Accountants having medicals, Crazy money for an player in his twilight, again, crazy money for a player who had one year left on contract, and world record fee for a player let go for next to month a few years ago….. You see, when you point a finger, three pointing back….

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    Mute Dave Murray
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    Aug 9th 2016, 3:13 PM

    Keep up the good work Man Utd, I like seeing the non Utd fans taking the bait ;)

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    Mute Johnny Bravo
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    Aug 9th 2016, 3:16 PM

    Breaking news ….. Wolves is a bigger club then Liverpool

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    Mute Hoofedup Bravo
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    Aug 9th 2016, 4:05 PM

    Oh, so, you believe it, but not when you see every player linked to Man Utd???? With your logic, Liverpool are a bigger club than Man Utd, seeing as Sadio Mane said no fcking way when that lot came in for him…. Typical of some of you Man U fans, move the goalposts non stop……

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    Mute Johnny Bravo
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    Aug 9th 2016, 4:34 PM

    Was there an offer for Sadio ? Did the clubs talk no ! So do one

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    Mute Omar Josef
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    Aug 9th 2016, 4:38 PM

    U should not drank much coffee hoff

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    Mute Del Haven
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    Aug 9th 2016, 5:12 PM

    Oooh Jose, mmm, that’s right, ooooh yeah, Pogba, hrmmph, Mkhitaryan, yeah yeah oooooooh!!

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    Mute Hoofedup Bravo
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    Aug 9th 2016, 5:36 PM

    Ah Johnny cried…. seriously man, cannot take it?

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    Mute Johnny Bravo
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    Aug 9th 2016, 5:37 PM

    I see so presumably you have seen me carrying out this apparent act which would make your a ‘peeper’ …. sick or what !

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    Mute Del Haven
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    Aug 9th 2016, 5:48 PM

    Are you guys related?

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    Mute Johnny Bravo
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    Aug 9th 2016, 5:56 PM

    We were kind of this morning till I drop him down a big white bowl

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    Mute Del Haven
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    Aug 9th 2016, 5:59 PM

    A big white bowl with WiFi

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    Mute gerrys spot
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    Aug 9th 2016, 10:45 PM

    How do you know their wasn’t, have you inside info. Supposedly there was an offer last season

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    Mute john f
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    Aug 9th 2016, 2:46 PM

    Williams and kone in with 18m left over is some business for Everton

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    Mute luke sarpish
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    Aug 9th 2016, 3:17 PM

    Why was Johnny Evans and Arsenal in the same sentence.

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    Mute Del Haven
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    Aug 9th 2016, 2:39 PM

    Why did they not announce the signing of Stones immediately, what had they to gain by not announcing it? Seems like a lot of embarrassment could’ve been avoided.

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    Mute David Carino
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    Aug 9th 2016, 3:32 PM

    City get pants pulled down again in signing another English player

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    Mute Stuart
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    Aug 9th 2016, 2:58 PM

    If stones is valued at £47.5m then Pogba for £100m+ doesn’t look too bad after all

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    Mute Nollaig Elliot
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    Aug 9th 2016, 3:06 PM

    The whole transfer market circus makes for some very repetitive commenting.

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    Mute Conor
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    Aug 9th 2016, 3:00 PM

    See United fans are saying stones is too expensive, this is a club who bought eric bailly and Unknown defender for £30 million and martial for even more who at the time was unknown. Not saying if they are right or wrong just its a bit funny the situation

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    Mute Dave Murray
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    Aug 9th 2016, 3:12 PM

    Eric Bailly was known to many in La Liga in a team that came 4th last season so that’s good enough for me. He’s just not English or played in the premier league to be well “known”.

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    Mute Conor
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    Aug 9th 2016, 3:14 PM

    From what I’ve been reading is that he is good but massively overrated and relies to much on his physicality. And still. £30 million for a relatively unknown player is a lot. United can’t take the piss out of anyone else’s signings financially wise

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    Mute Ted Logan
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    Aug 9th 2016, 3:22 PM

    Have a look a cost of transfers v the money earned (not handed over by sugar daddy owner) and Uniteds books are in far better shape than most if not all the Premier League clubs!

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    Mute Conor
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    Aug 9th 2016, 3:24 PM

    Trying to justify the prices is hilarious. It’s being the league who cares

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    Mute Dave Murray
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    Aug 9th 2016, 3:25 PM

    “Good but overrated”…whatever that means. Probably best to give him a chance, no?

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    Mute Conor
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    Aug 9th 2016, 3:28 PM

    Good but overrated, example martial good player but the way people were getting on last season you would think it was ronaldo or Henry in their prime.

    I never said he wouldn’t be good, just saying United fans in particular can take the piss out of other teams transfers especially stones when their own manager wanted him

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    Mute Finn Tennance
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    Aug 9th 2016, 3:28 PM

    Actually they probably can. They’ll make all the money back in Pogba shirt sales, merchandize etc before the end of the year. As much as I hate to say it, their corporate and marketing partnerships could ensure they boss the financial side of things for years to come. As for Stones, €50m they can have him. We’ll use that money to strengthen the squad with decent players. Koeman seems to have an eye for promising talent.

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    Mute Conor
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    Aug 9th 2016, 3:32 PM

    They will never make the pogba money back on shirt sales clubs get like Max 10 to 15% of revenue on shirt sales sure Real Madrid didn’t even make the beckham money back in shirts

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    Mute David Carino
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    Aug 9th 2016, 3:59 PM

    Do you honestly believe that any club that’s spends money on players whether it be 500,000 or 100,000,000 do so without having a plan in place to try and recoup as much of the money as possible . He will be Mr Manchester Utd by the time the season is over if not before , nothing will happen without his picture or name being involved in some shape if form

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    Mute Conor
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    Aug 9th 2016, 4:07 PM

    Oh they will recoup some money back but no where near the amount of the transfer this happens with all the big clubs they never regain the money unless they sell, that’s why all the big clubs except Munich I think are in debt

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    Mute BAZINGA !
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    Aug 9th 2016, 4:40 PM

    And liverpool fans talking about Utd and other clubs transfers cause they have nothing to talk about regarding their own club

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    Mute Conor
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    Aug 9th 2016, 4:41 PM

    Think United fans had a lot to say about Liverpool transfers so what does that mean then?

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    Mute Nollaig Elliot
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    Aug 9th 2016, 5:59 PM

    Lads it’s embarrassing, give it a rest. It used to be good banter on here but that’s starting to fade. Ye are starting to sound like school kids.

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    Mute Sloop John G
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    Aug 9th 2016, 7:58 PM

    Spot on Nollaig. You’re right, it’s not banter, it’s the same repetitive comments about the fee for Pogba and now Stones today. It’s not going to drastically effect the lives of anybody on the 42 so get over yourselves for Christ sake.

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    Mute Johnny Bravo
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    Aug 9th 2016, 3:24 PM

    Meanwhile Flopp demands to know what’s happening with players at Southampton

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    Mute Hoofedup Bravo
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    Aug 9th 2016, 5:05 PM

    Booya Carino! you won marketing! That’ll make the pain go away for winning nothing.

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    Mute Mark Nugent
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    Aug 9th 2016, 4:59 PM

    He’s not even back a day and the promotion wheels are turning already

    https://www.facebook.com/adidasfootball/videos/10153739567103531/

    http://bit.ly/2b40fca

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    Mute David Carino
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    Aug 9th 2016, 5:03 PM

    That’s exactly what I’m talking about Mark .. PogBoom !

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    Mute Hoofedup Bravo
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    Aug 9th 2016, 5:03 PM

    Mark, all that is fine, good business, but at end of the day, you will take the medals over that.

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