[5] The term was popularised in the United Kingdom through its usage in the Daily Mail newspaper to describe athletes born outside the UK who had been selected to represent Great Britain at the London 2012 Summer Olympics.
[6] The term originally had foundations from South African-born Zola Budd having her British citizenship application fast tracked in order to represent Great Britain at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
[9] The term; "Plastic Brit" was also used when there were calls for Arsenal's Spanish goalkeeper Manuel Almunia to play for the England national football team in 2009.
[7] The Independent newspaper said that a third of Great Britain's gold medal winners at the Olympics and Paralympic games had a non-British parent or had been born outside of the UK.
Triple jumper Yamilé Aldama, who had been described as a "Plastic Brit", openly criticised the term in an article in The Guardian newspaper.
[14] She also said that a number of other athletes, including Farah and Kevin Pietersen—who had represented Great Britain and the England cricket team respectively—had not been born in the United Kingdom but were not branded as "Plastic Brits".
"[16] Fijian-born Paralympic discus thrower Derek Derenalagi said in the Evening Standard that he was a "Titanium Brit" after he lost his legs in an explosion while serving with the British Army.