Scottish voters elected against becoming their own, independent nation yesterday, a decision that means Great Britain’s swimming programs will remain as one team.
In terms of swimming, the vote selects the known over the unknown, as the whole landscape of Scottish sports would have changed drastically with an independence vote. We covered what an independent Scotland could mean yesterday, and you can read that piece here. The biggest questions involved funding, with the entire National Lottery system that funds UKSport being reworked.
As it stands now, Great Britain should stand a chance to improve its medal total at the next Olympics, a goal the nation set after hosting the London Games, but one that would have been nearly impossible with the exit of all Scottish athletes.
It also keeps British relays intact, but on the flip side, means that all British athletes have more competition for the nation’s two Olympic slots in each event. That’s especially important in a discipline like men’s breaststroke, where Adam Peaty, Michael Jamieson and Ross Murdoch are all high-level swimmers. Still, all three should have a shot at the Rio Games, given that Peaty specializes in sprints while Jamieson and Murdoch have had more international success in the 200.
