# The Palestinian Olympic Team

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-palestinian-olympic-team/260118>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 16, 2004, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-palestinian-olympic-team/260118 "2004-08-16T19:09:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![i\_am\_a\_scientist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f07891/32.png) [@i\_am\_a\_scientist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/i_am_a_scientist)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-palestinian-olympic-team/260118/1 "2004-08-16T19:09:57Z")

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Why does Palestine have an Olympic team?

What is required of a country to field an olympic team? What if the Quebec separatists wanted to field a squad? or The US Confederacy?

The [IOC](http://www.olympic.org/uk/index_uk.asp) doens’t have a straight answer.

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**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-palestinian-olympic-team/260118/2 "2004-08-16T19:15:50Z")

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> [@i am a scientist](#):
>
> The [IOC](http://www.olympic.org/uk/index_uk.asp) doens’t have a straight answer.

> [@](#):
>
> Although most NOCs are from nations, the IOC also recognises independent territories, commonwealths, protectorates and geographical areas.

[http://www.olympic.org/uk/organisation/noc/index\_uk.asp](http://www.olympic.org/uk/organisation/noc/index_uk.asp)

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**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-palestinian-olympic-team/260118/3 "2004-08-16T19:19:35Z")

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Well, Palestine does have territory (Gaza and the West Bank), and it does have a sort of national government. Plus, it’s probably politics: the Arab countries, and Iran, would not be there is Israel was in the comptition and Palestine was not. I think that, in cases of doubt like this, it is sensible to inclusive rather than exclusive.

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**Author:** ![nonpolar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3da27b/32.png) [@nonpolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonpolar)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-palestinian-olympic-team/260118/4 "2004-08-16T19:35:46Z")

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If Puerto Rico is there why not Palestine?

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**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-palestinian-olympic-team/260118/5 "2004-08-16T20:53:02Z")

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Because the Palestinian Olympic Committee is reognized by the IOC. I don’t think there are general guidelines about which a territory has to fulfil to qualify - the IOC will check any individual case and decide whether or not recognise the particular committee.  
Another interesting example for this is Taiwan, participating in the 2004 Olympics as “Chinese Taipei” and banned from using its national symbols such as flag and anthem.