Sport in Greenland

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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
International Biathlon Union (IBU)The Greenland Biathlon Federation is a full member of IBU. [14] 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. [15] [16] Applicant
International Handball Federation (IHF)The Greenland Handball Federation is a member of IHF and the North America and the Caribbean Handball Confederation. [17] Member
International Island Games Association (IIGA)Greenland is a member of the IIGA and participates in the Island Games. [18] Member
International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)The Greenland Table Tennis Federation is a full member of ITTF [19] and the European Table Tennis Union. [20] Member

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

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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.

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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, women'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 soccer friendly tournament, known as the Greenland Cup, from 1980 to 1984. The Greenland Football Association applied to join CONCACAF, a continental body of FIFA, on 13 May 2024.

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Small Time Giants is an alternative rock band from Greenland. Besides Greenland, the band is popular in Denmark where it has developed great following with their mainly English-language songs. Their EP Six Shades of Heart was released in February 2012 and their debut studio album Stethoscope was released on DIGIDI, the digital distribution network in October 2014. In 2015, the band won the contest for the official song of the Arctic Winter Games, which was held in Nuuk, Greenland in 2016. The song, entitled "We Are the Arctic", was formally released in October 2015.

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-50 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.

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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. Archived from the original on August 3, 2018. 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. ↑ "Member Federations".
  15. ↑ "Concacaf Gets Crazy, May Add Greenland as Its Newest Member".
  16. ↑ "Greenlandic football to go international".
  17. ↑ "IHF | Member Federation".
  18. ↑ https://www.iiga.org/member_profile_12356.html>
  19. ↑ "International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) - Directory".
  20. ↑ https://www.ettu.org/en/about-ettu/member-associations/
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