Sport in Greenland

Last updated

Sport is an important part of Greenlandic culture, as the population is generally quite active. [1] The main traditional sport in Greenland is Arctic sports . [2]

Contents

Popular sports include association football, track and field, badminton, handball, golf, and skiing. Handball is often referred to as the national sport, [3] and Greenland's men's national team was ranked among the top 20 in the world in 2001. [4]

Greenland has excellent conditions for skiing, cross country skiing, kayaking, fishing, snowboarding, ice climbing, ice skating, and rock climbing, although mountain climbing, mountain biking, and hiking are preferred by the general public. Although the country's environment is generally ill-suited for golf, there are nevertheless golf courses on the island. Greenland hosts a biennial international the world's largest multisport and cultural event for young people of the Arctic for the second time in 2016. [5]

Football

The Football Association of Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaanni Arsaattartut Kattuffia), has a national football team but is not yet a member of FIFA because of ongoing disagreements with FIFA leadership and an inability to grow grass for regulation grass pitches. As a constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Danish men's and women's teams represent Greenland as well (although not the Faroe Islands). [6] However, it is the 17th member of the N.F.-Board. DBU president Jesper Møller visited Greenland in 2015 and the Danish and Greenlandic associations signed a cooperation agreement which aims to encourage the game at grass roots level and build four to six artificial pitches. The FIFA Goal programme sponsored the Qaqortoq Stadium in Qaqortoq, which has an artificial grass pitch. Greenland holds the Greenlandic Football Championship annually. They previously held the event known as the Greenland Cup. They also are a member of CONIFA and compete in the Island games Football, finishing as runners-up to Bermuda in 2013. [6]

Skiing

The oldest sport association in Greenland is the Greenland Ski Federation (GIF), founded in 1969. This happened when the then-President of the GIF Daniel Switching took the initiative to found federations and institute reforms. Greenland Ski Federation is further divided into Alpine and cross-country selection committees. The federation is not a member of the International Ski Federation (FIS), but Greenland skiers participated in the Olympics and World Championships under the Danish flag at the 1968, 1994, 1998 and 2014 games. [7]

Arctic sports

Greenland competes in the biennial Arctic Winter Games (AWG). [2] In 2002, Nuuk hosted the AWG in conjunction with Iqaluit, Nunavut. [8] In 1994 and again in 2002, they won the Hodgson Trophy for fair play.

Other sports

Greenland takes part in the biennial Island Games, organized by the International Island Games Association. [9]

Greenland took part in the 2007 World Men's Handball Championship in Germany, finishing 22nd in a field of 24 national teams. [10]

Greenland took part in badminton in the European Men's & Women's Team Championships in 2018 and won the first match ever in international badminton team championships against Hungary. [11] [12]

Greenland took part in the table tennis event at the multi-sport 2022 European Championships in Munich, Germany. [13]

Membership of international sports federations

Greenland has gained membership of, or is in the process of applying to join, the following federations:

EntityNotesStatus
Arctic Winter Games International Committee Greenland participates in the Arctic Winter Games.Member
Badminton World Federation (BWF)The Greenland Badminton Federation is a full member of BWF and Badminton Europe.Member
Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF)The Greenland Football Association applied to join CONCACAF, a continental body of FIFA, in June 2022. [14] [15] Applicant
International Handball Federation (IHF)The Greenland Handball Federation is a member of IHF and the North America and the Caribbean Handball Confederation. [16] Member
International Island Games Association (IIGA)Greenland is a member of the IIGA and participates in the Island Games. [17] Member
International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)The Greenland Table Tennis Federation is a full member of ITTF [18] and the European Table Tennis Union. [19] Member

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenland</span> Autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark in North America

Greenland is a North American autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the largest country within the Kingdom and one of three countries which form the Kingdom, the others being Denmark proper and the Faroe Islands; the citizens of all three countries are citizens of Denmark. As Greenland is one of the Overseas Countries and Territories of the European Union, citizens of Greenland are also granted European Union citizenship. The capital and largest city of Greenland is Nuuk. Greenland lies between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. It is the world's largest island, as well as the northernmost area of the world – Kaffeklubben Island off the northern coast is the world's northernmost undisputed point of land, and Cape Morris Jesup on the mainland was thought to be so until the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Island Games Association</span> Organizer of the Island Games

The International Island Games Association (IIGA) is the organising body for the Island Games, a friendly biennial multi-sport competition between teams from several European islands and other small territories. The IIGA liaises with the member island associations and with sponsors of the games. It investigates whether islands wanting to join fit the membership criteria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenland national football team</span> National football team representing Greenland

The Greenland national football team represents Greenland in non-FIFA international tournaments. It is controlled by the Football Association of Greenland. Although it has the same status as the Faroe Islands within the Kingdom of Denmark, Greenland is not, unlike the Faroe Islands national football team, a member of FIFA nor of any continental confederation and therefore is not eligible to enter the World Cup or other sanctioned tournaments. Most of the matches they have played have been against the Faroe Islands and Iceland, but neither of the two consider those games full internationals. In May 2022 it was announced that Greenland had officially applied to become a member of CONCACAF.

The Island Games are biennial international multi-sports events organised by the International Island Games Association (IIGA). Competitor teams each represent different island communities which are IIGA members. Currently all competitor teams represent non-sovereign territories of European nations—some within European waters and some further overseas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qaqortoq</span> Place in Greenland, Kingdom of Denmark

Qaqortoq, formerly Julianehåb, is a city in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland, located near Cape Thorvaldsen. With a population of 3,050 in 2020, it is the most populous town and the municipal capital in southern Greenland and the fourth or fifth-largest town on the island.

Football has been a regular event since 1989 at the Island Games, the biennial multi-sports event for island nations, territories and dependencies. A 5-a-side competition for under-16s was held at the inaugural event on the Isle of Man, and the success this minor competition brought to the games meant senior men's football was included on the itinerary for the first time in the Faroe Islands, in 1989. Women's football was included on the games' schedule for the first time in 2001.

The Greenlandic Football Championship is the premier men's football competition in Greenland. It was established in 1954 and since 1971, it has been organised by the Football Association of Greenland. This association is not a part of FIFA or any other continental confederations. B-67 is the most successful football team to have won the championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Football Association of Greenland</span> Greenland Has a Football team.

The Football Association of Greenland (KAK) is the governing body of association football in the island country of Greenland. The KAK was founded on 4 July 1971. It runs the men's national team, women's national team, men's futsal team and multiple national championships, from the men's and women's national championships through youth, veterans and futsal variations. Greenland also held three editions of a men's national football friendly tournament, known as the Greenland Cup, from 1980 to 1984. The Greenland Football Association applied to join CONCACAF, a continental body of FIFA, in June 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Greenland</span> Overview of and topical guide to Greenland

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Greenland:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Football in Greenland</span> Overview of association football practiced in Greenland

Association football is the most popular and the national sport of Greenland. It was brought to Greenland by Danish settlers. Because of the climatic conditions, Greenland is unable to support any grass pitches so games are played on artificial turf. The national stadium is the Nuuk Stadium in the capital of Greenland, Nuuk. There is a proposal to replace Nuuk Stadium with a new stadium, named Arktisk Stadion.

Football is the most popular sport for women in Somalia. However, Somalia does not have a women's national football team with FIFA recognition, and have never played in a single international fixture. They are in a region that faces many challenges for the development of women's sport. Football is the most popular women's sport in the country and teams do exist for women to play on though they are few. Participation rates dropped by a large number in 2006. The sport's governing body in the country is not providing much support for the game and faces its own challenges.

The 1954–55 Greenlandic Football Championship was the 1st edition of the Greenlandic Men's Football Championship. The final round was held in Ilulissat. It was won by Nuuk Idraetslag who defeated Nagdlunguaq-48 in the final.

The 1958 Greenlandic Football Championship was the 2nd edition of the Greenlandic Men's Football Championship. The final round was held in Qaqortoq. It was won by Grønlands Seminarius Sportklub who defeated Kissaviarsuk-33 in the final.

The 1959–60 Greenlandic Football Championship was the 3rd edition of the Greenlandic Men's Football Championship. Played on a knock-out basis, the final round was held at Gamle Sandbane in Nuuk. It was won by Nanok who defeated Kissaviarsuk-33 in the final.

The 1970 Greenlandic Football Championship was the 8th edition of the Greenlandic Men's Football Championship and the final edition organised by Grønlands Idrætsforening before a dedicated Football Association of Greenland was established the following year. The final round was held in Sisimiut. It was won by Tupilak-41 who defeated Kissaviarsuk-33 5–3 in the final.

The 1963–64 Greenlandic Football Championship was the 4th edition of the Greenlandic Men's Football Championship. The tournament was played in four regional groups, where two teams advanced to the regional qualifying finals. The winners of these qualifiers advanced to the final knockout phase, which was held at Nuuk Stadium in Nuuk. It was won by Kissaviarsuk-33 who defeated Nanok in the final.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jersey Table Tennis Association</span>

The Jersey Table Tennis Association was established in 1923 and is the governing body responsible for table tennis in Jersey. The organisation has been affiliated to the ITTF since 1935.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gibraltar national football team results (Non-FIFA matches)</span>

The Gibraltar national football team represents the Gibraltar in association football and is controlled by the Gibraltar Football Association (GFA), the governing body of the sport there. It competes as a member of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), which encompasses the countries of Europe. Organised football has been played in the country since the 19th century. Gibraltar first applied for UEFA membership in 1997 but was rejected because of intense opposition from Spain. In October 2012, Gibraltar reapplied for full membership and it was granted in March 2013. On 13 May 2016 Gibraltar was accepted as a member of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA); this was after their original application in 2014 was denied.

The Qaqortoq Stadium is a stadium in Qaqortoq, Greenland. It was completed in September 2010, and it hosts football matches.

Ari Hermann is a Greenlandic footballer who currently plays for Greenlandic Football Championship club B-67 Nuuk and the Greenland national team. Former national team head coach Jens Tang Olesen has described Hermann as one of the most talented players in the country.

References

  1. ↑ Wilcox, Jonathan; Latif, Zawiah Abdul (2007). Cultures of the World: Iceland. Marshall Cavendish. p. 109. ISBN   978-0-7614-2074-3.
  2. 1 2 Williams, Ollie. "Sports you'll never see at the Olympics". CNN. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
  3. ↑ Wilcox, Jonathan; Latif, Zawiah Abdul (2007). Cultures of the World: Iceland. Marshall Cavendish. p. 110. ISBN   978-0-7614-2074-3.
  4. ↑ "The unlikely success story of football on the massive island of Greenland". the Guardian. 2014-10-22. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
  5. ↑ Wilcox, Jonathan; Latif, Zawiah Abdul (2007). Cultures of the World: Iceland. Marshall Cavendish. p. 111. ISBN   978-0-7614-2074-3.
  6. 1 2 Homewood, Brian. "Danish FA supports Greenland's bid to join UEFA, FIFA". U.K. Retrieved 2018-10-09.
  7. ↑ "Ski forbundet". gif.gl. Archived from the original on 2015-02-11.
  8. ↑ "Arctic Winter Games". Gif.gl. Archived from the original on 25 March 2007. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
  9. ↑ IIGA. "Greenland". www.iiga.org. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
  10. ↑ "Hodgson Trophy Winners". Arcticwintergames.org. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
  11. ↑ "2018 European Men's & Women's Team Championships: Teams". www.tournamentsoftware.com. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
  12. ↑ "2018 European Men's & Women's Team Championships: Matches". www.tournamentsoftware.com. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
  13. ↑ "Nations Entries - Team Greenland | European Championships".
  14. ↑ "Concacaf Gets Crazy, May Add Greenland as Its Newest Member".
  15. ↑ "Greenlandic football to go international".
  16. ↑ "IHF | Member Federation".
  17. ↑ https://www.iiga.org/member_profile_12356.html>
  18. ↑ "International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) - Directory".
  19. ↑ https://www.ettu.org/en/about-ettu/member-associations/
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.