Faroe Islands, Greenland or Denmark II for the Olympics?

A few weeks ago, the Faroese men’s national handball team, with fantastic support from more than 6,000 Faroese fans in the stands, achieved impressive results at the “EHF EURO 2026”. The Faroe Islands were very close to qualifying for the main round and thus achieving a raking among Europe’s 12 best nations in the Olympic sport. The Faroe Islands have a very realistic opportunity to qualify for the “2027 IHF World Championship” in Germany, which is the pathway to the 2028 Olympics. The upcoming Olympic tournament in Los Angeles will consist of 12 nations, of which 8 or 9 will probably be from Europe.

In the coming weeks, Ukaleq Slettemark and Sondre Slettemark from Greenland will be among the world’s best biathletes, competing for Olympic medals and national glory at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. Athletes and national teams from the Faroe Islands and Greenland do not currently have the opportunity to participate in the Olympic Games as independent nations due to the International Olympic Committee’s inconsistent rules.

Faroe Islands and Greenland without independent membership of the IOC

The Faroe Islands and Greenland have been working towards and applying for independent membership of the IOC since the mid-1980s, but both have so far been rejected for political reasons. Both countries have independent national sports federations, Itróttamband Føroya (ÌSF founded in 1939) and the Greenland Sports Federation (GIF founded in 1953), which consist of a relatively large number of federations, such as Hondbóltssamband Føroya (HSF) and the Greenland Biathlon Federation (GBF). HSF, which was founded in 1980, today has independent status with both the European Handball Federation (EHF) and the International Handball Federation (IHF). This means that the Faroese women’s and men’s handball national teams can qualify for and compete for medals at both the European and World Championships, but not at the Olympic Games. Likewise, the two siblings Ukaleq and Sondre Slettemark can represent Greenland at the European Championships, World Championships and World Cups, but not at the Winter Olympics.

The IOC has not approved National Olympic Committees in Greenland and the Faroe Islands despite several applications

The IOC decides sovereignly which nations can participate in the Olympic Games. At the 2024 Olympics in Paris, athletes and teams from 204 nations participated, while more than 90 nations are expected to participate with athletes and teams at the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. At present, athletes and teams from nations that have an IOC-approved National Olympic Committee (NOC) are excluded from participating in the Olympics. And the IOC has not yet approved either Itróttamband Føroya or the Greenland Sports Federation as independent NOCs despite repeated applications, most recently from ÍSF in 2023. Both the Faroe Islands and Greenland have expanded self-government with independent parliaments (Lagtinget and Inatsisartut) and governments (Landsstyret and Naalakkersuisut), but not full sovereignty. This has been brought to the fore in recent weeks, with Greenland’s status as part of the Kingdom, for defence and security reasons, being emphasised by politicians and the media. Constitutional matters mean that King Frederik X is formally and ceremonially the Head of State of the Faroe Islands and Greenland.

IOC’s inconsistent rules discriminate between athletes and nations

King Charles III has the same status as King Frederik X in relation to nations such as Saint Kitts and Nevis and Antigua and Bardura, which are members of the Commonwealth of Nations – an association of independent states that have historically been associated with the British Empire. Both Saint Kitts and Nevis (42,000 inhabitants) and Antigua and Bardura (93,000 inhabitants) have IOC-approved National Olympic Committees, with the same constitutional status as the Faroe Islands and Greenland. This means that athletes and teams from the two nations have been represented at the Olympics since 1976 and 1996, respectively. The two nations have approximately the same population as Greenland (57,000) and the Faroe Islands (55,000), but significantly fewerfederations in Olympic sports than the two transatlantic island kingdoms.

Faroe Islands or Denmark II for the 2028 or 2032 Olympics?

It is very difficult to understand the IOC’s motives and arguments for the lack of approval of independent Olympic committees in the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The IOC officially mentions different criteria: Independence, affiliation with international federations, independence, anti-doping, democratic structure and exclusivity in terms of one NOC per nation. In my opinion, there are economic interests that are not apparent from the official documents. Most NOCs and Olympic federations are completely dependent on financial support from the IOC. They therefore have an interest in maintaining more nations and sports outside the “Olympic family”.

The goal of qualifying for the 2027 World Handball Championships is certainly realistic for the Faroese men’s national handball team. Perhaps qualification for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles or the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane is more than a dream scenario for the proud nation. In my opinion, it would be another stain on the IOC if a possible Olympic participation were to take place under the name Denmark II and … not Føroya.

Sources:

Felt