NOCs also promote the development of athletes and the training of coaches and officials at a national level within their geographies.
There are also nine dependent territories with recognized NOCs: four territories of the United States (American Samoa,[6] Guam,[7] Puerto Rico,[8] and the United States Virgin Islands[9]), three British Overseas Territories (Bermuda,[10] the British Virgin Islands,[11] and the Cayman Islands[12]), one constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Aruba[13]) and one special administrative region of China (Hong Kong[14]).
Niue, an associated state of New Zealand, could also be eligible as it conducts its own foreign relations and participates independently in UN specialized agencies and treaties,[18] though this is unclear.
[19] Currently, all other remaining states are ineligible to join the IOC as they are not recognized by a majority of United Nations member countries.
[20] Constituent countries and dependent territories such as Curaçao, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Greenland, Macau, New Caledonia and French Polynesia can also no longer be recognized, so athletes from these territories can only participate in the Olympics as part of their parent nation's national team.
Each continent also runs its own championships for their members:[citation needed] While not continental unions in themselves, the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees (UANOC) and International Committee of Mediterranean Games (CIJM) organize multi-sport events between Arabic-speaking countries and Mediterranean countries respectively.
[citation needed] All 22 National Olympic Committees that form the UANOC and the 26 from CIJM are also members of either the ANOCA, EOC or OCA and are eligible to send their athletes to either the African, European or Asian Games.
[32] Macau remains recognized by the Olympic Council of Asia and takes part in the Asian Games.
Other existing countries/regions with unrecognized Olympic committees: Catalonia,[33] Gibraltar,[34] French Polynesia, Niue,[35] New Caledonia,[36] Curaçao,[37][38][39] Guadeloupe,[37][39] French Guiana,[37][39] Martinique,[37][39] Sint Maarten,[37] the Northern Mariana Islands, Anguilla,[39] Montserrat,[39] Turks & Caicos Islands,[39][37] Transnistria, Kurdistan,[40][41] Northern Cyprus,[42] Somaliland,[43] Abkhazia,[44] and Native Americans.