The Faroe Islands, an archipelago lying north of Great Britain and in between Iceland and Norway, has been a self-governing region of Denmark since 1948 and rules on all issues except for foreign policy and defence.

They are recognised by eight Olympic International Federations, including FIFA, as well as the International Paralympic Committee, but have made no progress regarding IOC recognition since initial overtures in the 1980s.

This means that athletes from the Faroe Islands such as swimmer Pál Joensen can only compete at the Olympics as part of the Danish team. 

They have now received support from the National Olympic Committee (NOC) and Sports Confederation of Denmark, however, and are hoping that a campaign spearheaded by British-based consultancy Vero Communications will help change the IOC position. 

"We are going to start this process now and we are going to stay in this process until we get Olympic recognition, preferably sooner rather than later," said Jon Hestoy, vice-president of the Faroese Confederation of Sports and Olympic Committee, here today.

"One of the points [IOC President] Thomas Bach spoke about during last year's European Olympic Committees (EOC) meeting in Zagreb [which Hestoy attended as an 'observer'] was about the Games of the Small States of Europe in San Marino.

"There was one line which really hit me: the Olympic spirit 'for all and everyone'. 

"Maybe all and everybody except for Faroe Islands?

"We really feel that the Olympic spirit would be a reason to let us in.

"We are not asking to be recognised by the IOC to get on the gravy train.

"This is not a question about money or support.

"It is a question about this small country with enormous talent in sport, to give our athletes a chance to compete in the Olympic Games.

"We would have one or two athletes that would qualify, and the chance to participate at the Games of the Small States of Europe, which would be perfect for us."

Kosovo and South Sudan are the most recent countries to have been granted Olympic recognition, in 2014 and 2015 respectively.

Unlike Faroe Islands, though, they are considered fully independent countries by the United Nations or, in Kosovo's case, by over 100 of its members.

Faroe Islands' case is made more difficult by an Olympic Charter change in 1996 which ruled that NOC recognition can "only be granted after recognition as an independent state by the international community".

Places in a broadly similar position as Faroe Islands which were recognised before 1996 - including Guam, Puerto Rico, Bermuda and Aruba, the home of current Executive Board member Nicole Hoevertsz - remain able to fully participate.

But the huge increase in NOCs which followed the break-up of the Soviet Union in the 1990s made the IOC more reluctant to allow the Games to become ever-larger and they have become increasingly reluctant to allow new members.

Macau, who are a full member of the Olympic Council of Asia, Gibraltar, New Caledonia, Anguilla, Niue and the Turks and Caicos Islands are among other countries and regions with unrecognised NOCs.

Faroe Islands currently compete in the Island Games and finished second in the medals table behind the Isle of Man at the most recent edition in Gotland in Sweden last year.

They won 87 medals of which 30 were gold.

They are recognised by world governing bodies for archery, badminton, football, handball, judo, swimming, table tennis and volleyball.

"The Faroe Islands already competes in eight sports internationally including my own, swimming, where my greatest honour was winning medals for my country in World and European Championships," added Joensen, who won a 1,500 metres freestyle bronze medal at the 2012 World Short Course Championships in Istanbul.

"I had a great swimming career but my biggest regret was never having the opportunity to compete in the Olympic Games as a Faroese athlete. 

"That's why I'm so firmly behind this campaign because I want to give our athletes of tomorrow the chance to live their dreams and compete in the Olympic Games as the Faroe Islands."

Another challenge relates to the European Games, of which a second edition is due to be held in Minsk next year.

Faroe Islands would usually be eligible to compete at the European Judo Championships, but may now not be able to do so under their own flag because it is being held as part of the Games.

The EOC are not expected to grant Faroe Islands recognition unless the IOC has already done so.

insidethegames has contacted the EOC and IOC for a reaction.