Daniel Coyle is a fantastic rider. Why does he ride for Ireland if he’s from Belfast? Wouldn’t he ride for UK?
Lots of International athletes do not compete for the country of their birth for a variety of reasons. Others compete for their birth country despite living and training elsewhere. More opportunity, better facilities/coaching, economics and team selection politics play into the decision.
3 Likes
The Republic of Ireland accepts Irish citizenship by descent. If at least one of your parents was an Irish citizen when you were born, you can be an Irish citizen.
For the FEI, if you are entitled to more than one citizenship, you can choose which one you want to compete for. But once you chose one, there are restrictions on when and how you can change to another.
For instance, Boyd Martin was born in Australia, but his mother was American. So he was entitled to both American and Australian citizenship. He competed for Australia until 2009, when he started competing for the US.
4 Likes
I think I also read somewhere that both his parents were Olympians, but in different sports. Not horse related.
I wonder how often that happens with multiple generations in the Olympics. Especially in different sports.
3 Likes
Yes, his mother was an American speed skater, his father was an Australian cross country skier, and they met at the Winter Olympics.
4 Likes
I understand it doesn’t change the question, but Daniel is from Derry, not Belfast. Both he and his brother compete for Ireland. While they probably hold citizenship from both UK and Ireland, it is widely known that the Irish from NI do not take kindly to being called “British” 
6 Likes
Because Britain and Ireland are still like conjoined twins, separate but not , there are frequent oddities in how things are organised. In Rugby, for example, the national Irish team includes players from northern Ireland and the Republic. The RNLI, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, a charity that stations volunteer-manned rescue boats all around the coast, covers both GB and the Republic. The Dublin Horse Show remains the Royal Dublin Show years after independence. Irish citizens were permitted to vote in GB elections, though I don’t know if that is still true. The “copyright libraries”, public libraries that by law receive a copy of every book published in GB include Dublin amongst their number.
1 Like
I have to say that for a relatively small country Ireland has produced a lot of extremely successful riders.
Look at Track and Field. Athletes attend school in countries other then where they were born but compete under that flagif their birth.
Glad somebody else brought it up but the relationship between the UK and Ireland is the second longest running territorial and religious war on the globe. As they say, its complicated and a person otherwise eligible may not care to compete under the other flag. Or feel welcome to do so.
Or they may simply feel they will have a better chance at getting a spot on one country’s team then the other.
As I understand it, for FEI purposes all 32 counties of Ireland (26 in Republic of Ireland and 6 in Northern Ireland) fall under Horse Sport Ireland as their national federation. British Equestrian is the national federation for Great Britain (which is the island composed of England, Scotland and Wales). So, nobody actually competes as a representative of the United Kingdom. It’s either Ireland or Great Britain.
1 Like
Thanks. That’s the answer.
Even though Ireland is split between North and the Republic, he’s considered “Irish” by FEI.
I wonder if the other Olympic sports consider the 32 counties one country.
I do remember lads from the north wearing GB flags, but forget the sport.
It’s actually 2 countries.
He’s from Northern Ireland.
Ah, he must be more of a Sinn Fein type of guy. Lots of them in Belfast 
Football (soccer) has a more complex version of nations. England, Scotland, and Wales have ALWAYS competed as separate countries for FIFA World Cup, though they are considered one country for the Olympics.
I understand it doesn’t change the question, but Daniel is from Derry, not Belfast. Both he and his brother compete for Ireland. While they probably hold citizenship from both UK and Ireland, it is widely known that the Irish from NI do not take kindly to being called “British”
That can depend. I remember driving to a schooling show in NI and driving through neighbourhoods that were covered in the Union Jack. I still agree it’s definitely the safer choice though
