Isn't it Ironic?

So, I became engrossed watching the 2006 Scripps National Spelling Bee tonight. I then looked online at their definition of this event:

"We are the nation’s largest and longest-running educational promotion, administered on a not-for-profit basis by The E.W. Scripps Company and 268 sponsors in the United States, Europe, Canada, New Zealand, Guam, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, The Bahamas, and American Samoa. Our headquarters office in Cincinnati, Ohio, coordinates the national finals, enrolls sponsors, and produces word lists and study materials. This office operates year round."

"Our purpose is to help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies, learn concepts, and develop correct English usage that will help them all their lives."

I looked this up because a Canadian made it to the final two, Finola Hackett. The reason this confused me was the use of the world "National" in the title.

Merriam-Webster online defines "national:"

As an adjective:
"1 : of or relating to a nation
2 : NATIONALIST
3 : comprising or characteristic of a nationality
4 : belonging to or maintained by the federal government
5 : of, relating to, or being a coalition government formed by most or all major political parties usually in a crisis"

As a noun:
"1 : one that owes allegiance to or is under the protection of a nation without regard to the more formal status of citizen or subject
2 : a competition that is national in scope -- usually used in plural"

Now, I'm happy for anyone who can spell well, especially as this is a skill I never developed, and Finola kicked ass to reach second place. All 275 children in the Bee are far superior to me in their ability to spell. And I'm not picking on Finola; first, I was rooting for her to win and, second, there were many children involved from many locations around the world.

I am nitpicking the use of the word "national" by Scripps for what is obviously no longer a national competition. Doesn't this go against their own stated purpose to "develop correct English usage?"

On a serious note-- congratulations to everyone who participated in the Spelling Bee. You handled the pressure, the TV cameras, and the competition with aplomb.