Danish PM backs Faroese bid for Olympic recognition

The Faroe Islands are seeking to field their own athletes at future Olympic Games rather than being part of the Danish team.

The Danish Prime Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, has now officially pledged his support for the Faroese bid for membership in the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Rasmussen believes it is only natural that the Faroes are given the same status in the IOC as nations with similar levels of autonomy, according to Danish news agency Ritzau.

This support has, however, not convinced the IOC to approve the Faroese bid due to the requirement that member nations must be recognised by the United Nations as independent states.

Denmark has supported the Faroese Olympic bid for years, but without success.

In 2006, the then Minister of Culture, Brian Mikkelsen, tried to obtain the rights for Faroese and Greenlandic athletes to represent their respective countries, but this request was swiftly denied by the IOC president at the time, Jacques Rogge.

The Olympic committees in Denmark, Norway and Iceland all support independent Faroese and Greenlandic representation in the IOC.

The Faroese Confederation of Sports and Olympic Committee (ÍSF) is in ongoing membership talks with the IOC.

Translated by prosa.fo