Cathy Newman's not so FactCheck

I recently read an article by one Patrick Worrall who writes for Channel 4. The article boiled down to "independence leads to uncertainty," in reference to Scotland's Olympic funding for competing in Rio 2016. A timely article for the ending of the Olympics.

But what I am more interested in is the subtle use of claiming that both sides of the independence debate are muddying the Olympics with politicization. This is not the first article to do so, and I suspect 'till the end of the Olympics it will not be the last, but it's always fun to look at the evidence.

So! Let us see how the Olympics have been muddied by both the unionist and nationalist blocs.

"The eyes of the world are on the Olympics and the whole of Scotland is united in supporting our Olympians and Paralympians - our 'Scolympians' - to go for gold." - Alex Salmond

"Andy Murray, great Scot and Olympic Champion, holding a gold medal and proudly draped in the Union Jack - eat your heart out Alex Salmond!" - Conservative Struan Stevenson.

"As we watch Andy Murray singing our National Anthem, never forget that there are small-minded Nationalists who want to destroy TeamGB," -  Murdo Fraser.

"Hear hear Chris Hoy. Down with Alex Salmond's racist ethno-nationalism. #Olympic Britain, not #Scotland." 

- Gideon Mailer (OlympicVillageNovel on Twitter).

“At the biggest sporting event of our lives, the one that has most passionately engaged the country, we are cheering for a political entity that is meant to be about to break up.

“One of the many happy features of these wonderful Olympics is surely that they have retarded Alex Salmond in his campaign to end the Union.”- Boris Johnson

One of these quotes is not like the others. Indeed I have searched high and low for something, somewhere that hints that in some way Nationalists have in any way politicized the Olympics. All I have found is complaints from nationalists that the unionists have politicized the Olympics!

Perhaps they are referring to the furore of  Kim Little and Ifeoma Dieke not singing the national anthem, but if that were the case then why are we not hearing anything about the Welsh using the games to political ends if Ryan Giggs and Craig Bellamy also did not sing?

So you can be the judge, is The First Minister of Scotland wishing Scottish athletes the very best in getting gold medals the same as attacking Alex Salmond himself, every single time a Scottish Olympian wins? Am I not looking hard enough or do these so-called politicization attempts from the nationalists really exist?

It's a good thing there's only the Paralympics to go.