Minister for Sport Jack Chambers has urged the International Gymnastics Federation to permit Rhys McClenaghan and two other athletes to compete in the Commonwealth Games.
McClenaghan, who won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games before competing in the Tokyo Olympics, as well as Eamon Montgomery and Ewan McAteer have been banned by the FIG from competing for Northern Ireland because they have represented Ireland in the past.
In fact McClenaghan, who hails from Antrim, has been informed that he may have to give up his Irish passport if he is to compete in Birmingham at the Games.
Minister Chambers is giving his full support to McClenaghan, Montgomery and McAteer and slammed the FIG's decision as "regressive".
He told RTE that he has written to the gymnastics body to confirm the Irish Government's support for the trio, stating that "in the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement all the athletes should be allowed to compete."
Chambers added: "It’s certainly not in the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement in their decision and putting an athlete in the space they’ve left them in is not acceptable.
"I think the International Gymnastics Federation need to fully reflect on it and do what other associations have done and implement that in the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement.
"The athletes have our full support, I’ve fully reflected that in a letter to the International Gymnastics Federation in recent days.
"We’ll do everything we can to support their cause and allow them to compete in something they have competed in before. I think it’s a basic right in sport."
