BBC not showing Northern Ireland flag in Commonwealth Games coverage

BBC not showing Northern Ireland flag in Commonwealth Games coverage
The BBC has apologised for not showing Northern Ireland's flag in their Commonwealth Games coverage after viewers accused the broadcaster of ignoring it.

Every UK country apart from Northern Ireland had its flag shown during a broadcast by BBC presenter Reeta Chakrabarti.
Although the official flag for Northern Ireland is the Union Jack, the Ulster Banner is used by the Northern Irish team at the Commonwealth Games and is recognised by FIFA for international football matches.

The BBC told MailOnline: 'We will be using the flag used by the Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games team and apologise for its omission on this occasion.'

Northern Irish viewers flocked online to express their disgust at the show. One told the BBC to 'get the Northern Ireland flag on your results board'.

Meanwhile, Northern Irish politician Baroness Kate Hoey asked why the BBC did not show the flag 'as carried by the team'.

She said: 'What is BBC News trying to do? At the Platinum concert at Buckingham Palace they put up the Irish flag for Northern Ireland and now they have no flag.

'Maybe they shouldn't get the licence fee from residents in NI if they think we don't exist!'

A Twitter user also pointed out the public service broadcaster seemed to cut away from the finish of a race in a highlights show to avoid showing a flag for Northern Ireland coming in third place.

However, seconds later the BBC showed Scottish swimmer Toni Shaw coming in third in the S9 100m freestyle, allowing her nation's flag to show on the screen.

The only official flag Northern Ireland has is the Union Jack but the Ulster Banner is often used to represent the country.

The Ulster Banner has a Red Hand of Ulster and a crown on it and is associated with unionism and loyalism.

The flag is a point of contention in Northern Ireland, especially for Catholics and Republicans who want Northern Ireland to leave the UK and rejoin Ireland.

However, it is used by the national football team and was the flag waved by the Northern Irish team during Thursday's Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.

It was also used by Northern Ireland's government for 20 years until 1973 when its parliament was abolished.

The criticism is the latest in a litany of moments the BBC has either missed out a flag for Northern Ireland of confused it with the Republic of Ireland's.

Just last month the BBC apologised after displaying an Irish tricolour flag during the Queen's Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace.

At an evening concert where comedian Doc Brown spoke of being 'proud to be British', the Irish tricolour flag — normally used to represent the Republic of Ireland, which has not been part of the United Kingdom since 1937 — made an appearance during a BBC montage on screen behind him.

The montage playing on the screen showed the England and Wales football badge, a Scottish flag, and then the tricolour flag, in line with the comedian speaking of 'the red dragon, shamrock and thistle,' intended to reference Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland