Minister to explore if he can enforce use of Ulster Banner at Commonwealth Games

The Stormont minister with responsibility for sport has said he will explore if he has the power to enforce the use of the Ulster Banner as the Northern Ireland flag at the Commonwealth Games.

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said there should be no change to the flag being used at this summer’s games in Glasgow without an agreed alternative.

Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland (CGNI) has said it is awaiting guidance from the powersharing Executive on which flag the team will use in Glasgow.

Chief executive Conal Heatley told the BBC on Monday that in absence of guidance, the team will use the CGNI corporate logo at the games.

The Ulster Banner was the flag of the devolved Northern Ireland government from 1953 until it was abolished in 1973.

In the Commonwealth Games, it has been used as the flag representing Northern Ireland.

Mr Lyons said he has now written to CGNI telling it that the existing flag should be flown.

However, he has said that the power to decide may lie with the organisation.

The DUP minister told the BBC’s The Nolan Show that there is “no consensus” on what a new flag would look like.

He added: “The removal of the use (of the Ulster Banner) is a controversial decision.

“Commonwealth Games Northern Ireland have said that they are looking for some guidance from Stormont.

“I am setting out my position, as was my position back in 2024 when this was first raised, I think this is the wrong route to go down.

“I think the focus, as we head towards the Commonwealth Games, should actually be on sport, not on flags, especially when there isn’t consensus on what a new flag would look like.

“I have spent a lot of time talking to our athletes, especially since I have been in this post over the last couple of years.”

The minister said no athletes had ever raised concerns with him about the flag.

He said: “I don’t think there can be any doubt over the position of the various political parties over the course of the past year.

“The important thing is we don’t have consensus on what an alternative would look like.

“In the absence of that consensus I think it is important we stick with the status quo.”

Asked if he had the power to enforce the use of the Ulster Banner at the games, he said: “I will explore that but right now it seems that the power does lie with them to decide.

“They have said they wanted guidance, they have received that.”

Speaking on Monday, First Minister Michelle O’Neill commended CGNI for “trying to actually get an agreed way forward”.

She said: “I believe there’s some suggestion on their part that perhaps to be inclusive and to reflect all of the membership of all those athletes that will go out and compete, that they’re suggesting perhaps using their own team logo.

“I mean I commend that approach if that’s the approach that they take, I think it’s much better coming organically from the organisation.

“Look, I think the organisation is trying to reflect all the athletes that compete for them at the games.

“We have so many good, talented athletes here, I regret the fact that we’re caught up in a flag conversation as opposed to celebrating the talent that we have.”