By Amelia Fisher-Starzynski, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands, May 10, 2019: At the recent Faroese Confederation of Sports and Olympic Committee [FCSOC] General Assembly, a number of positives initiatives were unanimously agreed (New Gender Equality Targets).
The first concerns approval of a new gender equality strategy that will see the FCSOC and its Member Federations ensure a minimum 30/70 gender split in board membership by 2025, rising to a minimum 40/60 split by 2030.
This will ensure no gender – male or female – has more than 60 per cent board representation by 2030.
In addition, the FCSOC has also committed to establishing an Athletes’ Commission by autumn 2019.
Commenting on the gender equality targets, FCSOC President Elin Heðinsdóttir Joensen said:
“I delight that our Board has unanimously approved an important new gender equality strategy.
Seven of our 24 sports federations already meet our new gender equality targets for 2025, while three federations meet our 2030 goal, so we are already travelling on this important journey.
Importantly, the targets we are now commit to delivering will see our federations, and the FCSOC Board, actually exceed the IOC’s targets by 2030.
This sends out a very strong and clear message about how seriously we take gender equality in Faroese sport.”
Jon Hestoy, Vice President of the FCSOC added:
“In addition to agreeing important new gender equality targets, the FCSOC also commits to establishing an Athletes’ Commission and we aim to have this in place by the autumn.
This will important in ensuring the athletes’ voice hears loud and clear in everything the FCSOC does.
These developments demonstrate the clear commitment of the Faroe Islands to the Olympic values and vision articulated in Agenda 2020 and the Olympic Charter and I very much hope it’s another milestone in our quest for Olympic recognition.”
The Faroe Islands, which has a population of 51,000, has been a self-governing region of the Kingdom of Denmark since 1948 and competes in the Olympic Games as Denmark.
Located north-west of Scotland’s Shetland Islands and almost 1,000km from Denmark, the Faroe Islands has been campaigning for more than 40 years for Olympic recognition.
The Faroese Confederation of Sports established in 1939 and its Olympic Committee in 1982.
Sport on the islands is 100% self-funded, including all anti-doping activities [no sport funding comes from Denmark].
18,000 Faroese members of sports clubs which drives and overseen by the FCSOC.
Faroe Islands is a founding member of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and has competed in every Paralympic Summer Games since 1984.
It also recognises in its own right by eight International Federations: archery, badminton, football, handball, judo, swimming, table tennis and volleyball.
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