The journey towards becoming oneself

Miko Kongstad was born and raised in Qaqortoq. As an infant he is given another name, one maiden name that doesn't fit the man he's always felt like. His journey towards finding himself, is about much more than his new name. It is one story about finding one's true identity, about playing on the right track - not only on the badminton court, but in life.

Childhood and badminton

Miko Kongstad was born and raised in Qaqortoq. As an infant he is given another name, one maiden name that doesn't fit the man he's always felt like. His journey towards finding himself, is about much more than his new name. It is one story about finding one's true identity, about playing on the right track - not only on the badminton court, but in life.

Childhood and badminton

Miko starts playing badminton at the age of six, and it quickly becomes his passion. The parents are divorced, but Miko experiences great care and support from both pages, and he grows up in two loving homes where he never doubts his worth. Both parents not only support his badminton career, but also that be who he is. He spends many of the hours in the badminton hall, where he finds his own world.

- I have always been good at sports, but badminton is something else. Here could I really immersed myself, it was something I quickly fell for, says Miko.

Like At the age of 11, he competes in his first championship. At that time the hair is short and blue. However, the championship does not go as hoped - he loses all his matches, and it deeply disappoints him.

- I came home and told my father that I didn't want to lose any more. Next year, there if I win, says Miko with a laugh as he recalls that time.

And he lives up to his promise. The following year, Miko wins gold in singles, and his triumph marks the beginning of a career in which he always fights to stay better. The will and determination that drives him on the badminton court is that the same strength he takes with him through life – on and off the pitch.

The one first trip to Denmark

Like 18-year-old Miko travels alone to Hillerød to pursue her dream of badminton. He starts at Frederiksborg Gymnasium, precisely because there is a badminton academy in the city. Here he trains at the academy in the morning, before classes, and after afternoon at the local club. It's a new world for Miko – both challenging and encouraging.

- There was a big difference in the level in Denmark compared to what I was used to to from Greenland. Suddenly I was no longer the best, but I could felt that the development potential was enormous, says Miko.

They three years of high school becomes a time when Miko puts everything else aside the badminton. He focuses on the sport and quickly moves up the ranks of the champions, where In 2008 he became Danish champion in U19 singles and doubles. But right after, he has obtained his matriculation examination, the damage occurs. A cruciate ligament injury in 2011 that puts an abrupt end to his career.

- I was out playing an international tournament in Croatia, where I represented Greenland. In the middle of my third fight I destroy my knee, says Miko and becomes quiet.

The damage gives him time to reflect and notice.

- Me was very doubtful whether I should return to badminton. I had not changed gender yet, and it filled an enormous amount. Sports are so gendered, so during the injury I was in a severe identity crisis, says Miko.

The badminton has always been his love, but he has never felt comfortable in them form-fitting women's national team jerseys, in the gender-segregated world, not to mention talk about the dressing room, which has been a constant space of uncertainty and discomfort.

Who is Miko?

The first one cruciate ligament injury in his left knee is followed by another, two years later, in his right knee, during the Island Games in Bermuda. That injury doesn't just stop his physical travel. It cuts deeper than the knee and sends Miko out on a long and dark journey with an identity crisis. It's a breakup that isn't just about the sport, but about everything he thought defined him.

- My second injury was decisive. I had to admit that badminton was no longer my path. It was a relief but at the same time I lost a part of myself. The whole world I had built up, crumbled, and it sent me really far down mentally, says Miko with one serious look.

The damage not only marks the end of Miko's badminton career, it also opens a door to something bigger. Without the gender-normative requirements and expectations that have characterized the sport, he begins to find a new path. For the first time he gets rid of them strict framework that has held him back, and can begin to define himself outside the gendered boxes the sport has always placed him in.

One of the little things that stick out in his memories is one of his past coaches who had a penchant for abbreviations and nicknames. He began to call him "Mi-ko", a contraction of his former fore- and surname. At the time, Miko didn't think much of it, but today he sees it as an unconscious encouragement, a small step towards being seen as the one he is actually was. Miko slowly feels that his journey towards finding himself is started. It is in this time of vulnerability and uncertainty that he slowly begins to find the strength needed to live authentically.

The transition

Miko stays in Denmark for several years. He first starts at Danmarks Tekniske University to study civil engineering, but never completes the degree. I instead he moves to Aarhus and starts studying geology, a study with a strong focus on Greenland, and the longing takes shape. Miko feels how the roots calls to him, and after studying he decides to return home. Here starts a new one chapter, and Miko is employed as a badminton coach at the GUX sports line in Nuuk. But the return journey comes with a price. Miko always knew he wanted to transition to man. But for trans people like him, it's a long and lonely road. I In Greenland, where he returns, there is no systematic support - neither hormone therapy, operations nor psychological help are available.

- I always knew that I had to transition. I've never been in doubt, but in Greenland there is no one who can help. It's like you are have to find the way all by yourself, and it's incredibly difficult, says Miko when he reflects on his time in Greenland.

But Miko finds his own way, and in autumn 2020 he changes his name. Like fate will, the nickname Miko is already a registered name, even a unisex name. It feels both fitting and safe, like something that is truly his own. But when when it comes to gender-affirming treatment in the health care system, that is the reality a completely different one. Miko soon faces the wall of limitations and realizes that he has no other options than to leave his country in order to stay who he is.

Some months after his name change, Miko takes the plunge and moves to Denmark. But the road to his goal is far from simple. Just before the summer of 2021, he will make the trip to Sweden, where he can get the top surgery he has longed for for many years year. The operation is a success – a decisive turning point that marks a new one beginning in Miko's life.

- When I looked down at myself and saw my flat chest, I felt happiness, me never experienced before. It was as if a heavy burden had been lifted, he says Miko and breaks into the biggest smile.

The one new freedom and the bodily relief after the operation was not just one relief, but also a confirmation of his choice. Seven months later began he the hormone treatment, a treatment that makes him whole, but which also binds him him to Denmark. Hormone treatment requires lifelong follow-up – something, Greenland simply cannot offer. Therefore, Miko Schiøtt Kongstad cannot return home to Greenland.

On home court

I In 2023, Miko will return to the badminton court – this time on the right one half, like the man he has always been. For many years he was undefeated the best female badminton player in Greenland, and his name was well known on national plan. But now he represents himself – as who he really is. It is a symbolic, but at the same time very concrete, return for Miko: from playing on the wrong side to be fully authentic in his sport and in his life. The one first match back will not be a sporting victory, but a personal triumph – a proof that he never gave up on himself and that his journey of courage self-realization has been what has driven him forward. However, it is only one single time he participates in men's doubles – a symbolic act that marks a important step in his life, but not necessarily a return to the sport on full time. It is not a new career, but a statement, a moment in which Miko stands on the right side of the net – on the right side of life. Today has Miko put the athletic life behind him, but united his working life with the sport he plays have always loved. He works as a consultant for Badminton Kalaallit Nunaat, et job that allows him to visit and travel in his home country and work with the sport that has shaped him.

- Me would like to show that badminton is for everyone – young and old, boys and girls, and everything in between, Miko says with a smile that shows his dedication to the sport.

I his role brings him closer to his roots, and he thrives in it badminton association, where he can both share his knowledge and experience how the sport can bring people together across Greenland.

Forerunner

After struggling to find her own identity, Miko now works targeted for political change. When he is at home in Greenland, he has assumed the role of advocate for transgender rights. He has among second had conversations with relevant politicians and associations about the necessary improvements needed to ensure better conditions for trans people in Greenland.

- I fight not only for myself, but for those who come after me. None should feel forced to live a life in the shadows. I will help to ensure that we get the rights we are entitled to and that future generations don't have to fight the same battle, says Miko.

But Miko doesn't just fight for society – he also fights for himself. When he sees forward, he has gained a completely new understanding of life.

- Before I transitioned, I could not imagine myself in a future. Now can i dream again and i look forward to growing old. What awaits I don't know, but these are good things, I believe, says Miko and sighs softly, as if the shoulders lighten.

Miko has turned his own fear of the future into a driving force for change. His journey is about much more than finding himself – it is a struggle to give others the courage to stand up and live authentically. One day, he also hopes that this fight will give him the opportunity to return home - as he is - to one Greenland, which has room for everyone.