Faroese handball leader criticises reliance on Danish parliament funding

The Faroe Islands should have secured its own funding for a new handball arena rather than accepting 10 percent of the costs from Denmark’s parliament, according to Hallur Danielsen, chair of the Faroese Handball Association.

Speaking to public broadcaster Kringvarp Føroya, Danielsen acknowledged that while the Danish contribution was welcome, the arrangement reflected a broader political failure. “We should have damn well managed this ourselves,” he said. “But the reality is that 10 percent of this hall is funded by the Danish parliament. If the alternative was no hall at all, I’d still take those 10 percent. We need this facility.”

Danielsen praised the successful hosting of international handball matches in the new venue over the past year but argued that the Faroes no longer needed representation in the Danish parliament. He criticised local politicians for prioritising debates over national identity rather than securing the necessary international agreements and foreign policy powers for the islands’ development.

“They undermine the Faroese political system, where a large majority is trying to find a common national stance to gain the international memberships the Faroes need—and the foreign policy authority our system is entitled to,” Danielsen said.