Why doesn't England compete in the Olympics?

Answer 1

Nations at the Olympic Games are defined by their National Olympic Committees. When these were first set up, the British called themselves Great Britain, which included the countries of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. When Ireland became independent, it established its own National Olympic Committee, which was recognised by the IOC, although athletes from Northern Ireland, which is politically still part of the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" still compete for Great Britain.

When the Commonwealth Games were started (as the Empire Games), the different countries of Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and even the Isle of Man and two of the Channel Islands) all competed, and continue to compete, separately (although only Northern Ireland, as the rest of Ireland is no longer part of the Commonwealth).