Faroe Islands’ quest for Olympic recognition
Klaksvik, Denmark: For elite swimmer Pal Joensen, representing Denmark twice in the Olympic Games just didn’t feel right.
The Faroe Islands native would have much preferred to compete under the flag of Denmark’s autonomous territory in the North Atlantic.
The sports- crazed islands are already members of the International Paralympic Committee, Fifa and several other international federations but have been campaigning for 40 years to compete in the Olympic Games separately from Denmark.
“Representing the Faroe Islands has always given me enormous pride... ( but) when you all of a sudden can’t do that, it causes some emotional turmoil,” the 27- year- old said, on the sidelines of a rowing competition — the Faroese national sport — in the second largest city Klaksvik.
Competing in the 2012 Olympic Games in London and then in Rio de Janeiro 2016 felt like a “weird conundrum”, he said.
Should he have stayed true to his roots and passed on the Games, or was he right to swallow his pride and swim under the Danish flag?
“Denmark is not who, innerly, I feel I represent,” said the four- time silver medallist at the European Championships, something made possible by the Faroese swimming federation’s international recognition.
‘ OUR OWN SPORTS’ With support from a London- based communications agency, the Faroese have launched a campaign for Olympic recognition which appears to enjoy broad consensus among the population — regardless of differing opinions on the territory’s full independence.
“I myself am a unionist ( with Denmark) and I can say that we are supporting this full out. It’s not a struggle between us and Denmark,” says Rigmor Dam, Faroese minister for culture and sports.
“( But) we are culturally and sportingly an independent country from Denmark: we have our own language, our own culture, our own history and our own sports ( competitions),” she adds.
And Denmark doesn’t disagree: both the government in Copenhagen and the Danish National Olympic Committee are backing the Faroes’ aspirations to compete independently.