Athletes from ‘Nowhere’: The Faroe Islands’ Quest for Olympic Recognition

Abstract

Sport organizations based in the Faroe Islands have aimed to receive membership in international governing bodies of sport since the late 1960s. Today, the Faroe Islands are recognized by many Olympic sport federations, for example in football (soccer), handball, swimming, and volleyball. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) continues to reject a membership for the Faroese National Olympic Committee, arguing that the Faroe Islands are not an independent, internationally recognised state and requiring Faroe athletes to represent Denmark at the Olympic Games. This paper explores the history of Faroe sport’s fight for international sporting recognition based on archival material from sport organisations, newspaper archives, and oral history interviews. The analysis reveals that (1) the movement for an independent Faroese sporting recognition started based on participation rather than politics, and (2) that the IOC’s proclaimed athlete-first Olympic ethos was undermined by a focus on geopolitical stability.