A 'Quantum Leap' Forward for Faroe Islands

(ATR) The decision to allow athletes from the Faroe Islands to compete at the second European Games later this year is being called a "quantum leap" forward in Faroese efforts to gain Olympic recognition.

The European Olympic Committees (EOC) Executive Committee ruling ensures that Faroese athletes can participate in EOC events, including the European Games, in sports where the Faroe Islands already have a recognized sport federation.

For the European Games in Minsk this June, that means Faroese will be able to compete in archery, badminton, judo and table tennis. But the ruling will also allow athletes from the four other sports in the Faroe Islands with a recognized federation – football, handball, swimming and volleyball - to compete at other EOC events.

"To me, it’s a quantum leap. It really changes our situation," Jon Hestoy, Vice President of the Faroese Confederation of Sports and Olympic Committee (FCSOC), tells Around the Rings. "It might be for the thirsty a drop of water… but suddenly we feel we’re not in the same deadlock we were a year ago."

The EOC is still not recognizing the Faroe Islands even though it is allowing Faroese athletes to compete. The Faroes, a self-governing region of Denmark, launched its latest campaign to get into the Olympics in March of last year. If it succeeds, it would be the culmination of an ambition that is 40 years old.

An FCSOC delegation, including Hestoy, met last month in Lausanne with IOC Director of NOC Relations Pere Miró, IOC Head of Institutional Relations & Governance Jérôme Poivey, Danish NOC President Niels Nygaard and EOC secretary general Raffaele Pagnozzi.

Hestoy said the subject of IOC recognition for the Faroes was discussed at length in what he calls "a really frank exchange of our views of these things". And while Hestoy admits the IOC’s position to keep the Faroes out of the Olympics remains unchanged, he says his team came out of the meeting with the feeling that while the "deadlock hasn’t opened up" it is starting to move.

The talks in Lausanne in December and the EOC decision on Friday are certainly two reasons to be optimistic, and are evidence that the campaign for recognition is making a difference.

"I must say I didn’t expect anything to happen the first year or the second year and now things are… well, not moving but it’s opening up a little bit," Hestoy says. "So we are happy, extremely happy."

"We will run this campaign until it succeeds. Rather sooner than later. But I will guarantee you we will not take the foot off the throttle. Instead we will work even harder."

"We’re used to getting the door slammed in our face and now we feel like we have a foot in the door."

Written by Gerard Farek

For general comments or questions,click here.

25 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.