I found the criteria for the award of the South Atlantic Medal and the Gulf War Medal (1990/91 version that is) 'interesting'.
In both cases - Ascension Island in the first and Cyprus in the second - that the appropriate medal without clasp was awarded to personnel based there. My recollection was that the medals and the criteria for their award were not determined until the post conflict period. By that time, it would have been readily apparent that neither location had come under attack nor IIRC was either 'closely threatened' by the enemy.
Does anybody know the rationale for the gongs going to people on ASI or Cyprus? I ask as a matter of interest, not to start a rant.
As an aside, shortly after the conclusion of GW1, I attended a briefing (I was at HQSTC at the time) and one of the great men indicated that those of us who had been bunker bunnies during the recent unpleasantness would probably get a campaign medal. I thought this both unlikely (proved to be right) and unjustified (slept in a warm bed every - hence undeserved).