THE British Olympic Association (BOA) declared it was business as usual yesterday after the Scottish electorate rejected independence in Thursday’s referendum.

The BOA could have been set for fundamental changes had a majority of Scots voted for independence. Scottish athletes who had previously represented Great Britain would have had to make a choice which country to represent — a potentially tricky problem if they were part of a pair such as sailing or rowing.

Scotland’s Craig Reedie, Britain’s most senior figure in Olympic sport, had said there was uncertainty over whether there would be time for an independent Scotland to be recognised ahead of the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

But a BOA spokesperson said yesterday in the wake of Scotland remaining part of the Britain: “We are looking forward to continuing our detailed planning for Team GB as we prepare for the forthcoming Olympic Youth Festival early next year, the Baku 2015 European Games and of course Rio 2016.”

The British and Irish Lions, would have been forced to consider a name change had the Yes campaign gained the majority.