UK athletics head says 'Plastic Brits' will learn anthem

LONDON - Britain's foreign-born Olympic athletes, dubbed 'Plastic Brits' by some in the media, will not be lost for words when the national anthem is played at the London Games.

Charles Van Commenee, the Dutch head coach of UK Athletics, told British media he would make sure there was no repeat of a controversy that erupted at the world indoor championships in Istanbul in March.

Britain's Tiffany Porter celebrates after winning the women's 100m hurdle race at the IAAF World Challenge Ostrava Golden Spike track and field meeting in Ostrava May 25, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

Britain's US-born captain Tiffany Porter faced repeated questions at those championships about whether she knew the words to the anthem. She said she did but declined to sing them.

"They know the words, or they will," Van Commenee said.

"I will ask the question. I'm not going to rehearse everybody because we have 90 athletes but people that matter - let's say the relevant ones, the ones on your (the media's) radar."

Van Commenee said even if athletes did not need to sing along to the anthem at a medal ceremony, it was important they knew the words.

"It does (matter) because, if they don't, somebody will make an issue of it," he said.

Other prominent foreign-born athletes with British citizenship include world indoor triple jump champion Yamile Aldama (Cuba) and 400m runner Michael Bingham (US).