Sochi Could Be Britain's Last Olympics as a United Country

If this year's independence referendum succeeds, Scottish nationalists want their own Olympic team at the Rio Games in 2016.

(theatlatntic) - A key issue in the referendum debate is whether an independent Scotland could rapidly join international organizations like NATO and the European Union, as Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond claims (and as British and EU officials dispute). Olympics participation would be more straightforward: Assuming all of its basic criteria are met, the International Olympic Committee only requires that new countries be recognized as independent by the international community. In practical terms, this usually means membership in the United Nations.

Could an independent Scotland achieve Olympic glory? Scottish Summer Olympians brought home 13 Olympic medals, including seven gold medals, when Britain hosted the 2012 Games in London. And while Scots only comprise one-twelfth of Britain's population, 18 Scots qualified for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, meaning they constitute roughly one-third of Team GB's 48 overall athletes. But Scottish cyclist Chris Hoy, a six-time gold medalist considered to be Britain's most successful Olympian ever, warned that Team GB's Scots might not fare as well on their own.

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