A guide to Team Great Britain and who we might be overlooking

It's not hard to feel a sense of pride in your team each time the Olympics come around. From the first sight of the uniformed athletes in the Parade of Nations, to the final medal ceremony, there's something inspiring about each time the "home team" makes its nation proud. As an American covering the exploits of Team Great Britain in Paris 2024, I have learned about proud histories and major milestones that are completely unfamiliar to me while also geeking out about the ways that today's athletes are blazing trails for future generations.

You may need a quick refresher in what areas are included in the description of "Team Great Britain" and for that, you can turn to the Dublin-based Lebanese photographer who goes by Cedrusk on Instagram who posts reels "on languages, culture, and stories in general" according to his biography.

"Why aren't they Team UK?" Cedrusk asks at the start of his video before explaining that neither "Team GB" nor "Team UK" is correct and proceeds to give a history lesson with helpful maps. We see Great Britain with its borders between England, Scotland, and Wales. Northern Ireland is marked separate from Ireland with a helpful explanation of the distinction on the screen.

It is of note that the people of Northern Ireland are able to choose between teams to represent and of the forty-one athletes from Northern Ireland, only 7 are part of Team Great Britain. The remainder are affiliated with Team Ireland.

Something that some fans may not be taking into consideration is the presence on the team of athletes who are not from the UK. He details the scope of the CDOTs or Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories. We can look no further than the Isle of Man and the islands of Jersey and Guernsey to identify Crown Dependencies. The second half of the CDOTs include places as far-flung as the Sandwich Islands and Akrotiri and Dhekelia.

For an example of this inclusivity, consider one of the British Overseas Territories' representatives. Among the hundreds of athletes competing for Team Great Britain is rhythmic gymnast Georgina Cassar. In spite of competing for her native Gibraltar at the Commonwealth Games, she was not allowed to compete for Gibraltar at an Olympic level as their Olympic Committee has not been recognized. This did not stop her from joining Team Great Britain's London 2012 team.

Meanwhile, one of the first gold medals for Team GB at these Paris Olympics could not have happened without one of those seven Irish rowers. Hannah Scott of Coleraine was part of the women's quadruple sculls crew that took the gold from the Netherlands team on July 31.

The full list of athletes associated with the inclusive and diverse Team Great Britain can be found on the team's site and it's worth browsing the profiles to learn just how far the reach of this remarkable group is for Paris 2024.