Jack of Harts

The change in Olympic policies to allow athletes to pick their own flags and anthems resulted in the expected results of refugees representing their old homes. The Free Tibet, Free Taiwan, and New Japan Olympic teams are examples of this. But there were numerous unexpected results of this policy. Real life organizations like PETA were quick to capitalize on the opportunity, as were fans of various fictional organizations. The Star Trek-themed Federation and Klingon teams were quick to appear, as were the Star Wars-themed Empire and New Republic teams. The majority of modern athletes still represent physical nation states, but many “non-governmental organizations” now compete in the Olympics to great acclaim. That is one aspect in which the Olympic Games continue to evolve, sometimes in unexpected ways, as time goes on.