AusLeisure

North Korea will compete at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang  in three sports, including a historic joint women’s ice hockey team with South Korea, following an agreement reached with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Agreed at the weekend, the Olympic Korean Peninsula Declaration will see the IOC grant accreditations to the North Korean Olympic Committee for 22 athletes in three sports and five disciplines. The agreement was signed following a four-party meeting held in Lausanne, Switzerland between the IOC, government officials from North and South Korea and the local organising committee for next month’s Games in PyeongChang.

The announcement came after South and North Korea last week reached an initial agreement following the latest round of talks held between the countries at the border village of Panmunjom. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had opened the door to such a deal by stating in his New Year’s message that sending a delegation to the Games would present “a good opportunity to show unity of the people”.

Under the Olympic Korean Peninsula Declaration, the IOC has granted accreditations to North Korea for 22 athletes, 24 officials and 21 media representatives. The IOC has approved the request to have the Korean delegations marching together as one under the name ‘Korea’ at the opening ceremony. The delegation will be led into the Olympic Stadium by the Korean Unification Flag, carried by two athletes, one from each country.

The Koreas have previously fielded joint teams at the 1991 World Table Tennis Championships and the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship, but have never had a unified team at a major multi-sport event such as the Olympics or Asian Games. However, for the first time in Olympic history they will do so at PyeongChang 2018.

The unified women’s ice hockey team will be created by adding 12 players and one official from North Korea to the existing South Korean Olympic squad of 23 players. Only 22 players will be entitled to play in each game, as is the rule for all participating teams, at least three of whom must be from North Korea.

The unified women's ice hockey team will be represented by the Korean Unification Flag and will compete as Korea, with the anthem being the song ‘Arirang’. The acronym for the team will be ‘COR’. In all other sports, the athletes will compete for their respective country in their respective uniforms.

In figure skating, the IOC has allocated an additional quota place, after the registration deadline had expired, to the qualified pair of Ryom Tae-ok and Kim Ju-sik. For short track speed skating, the IOC has allocated two additional quota places to allow male athletes Jong Kwang-bom and Choe Un-song to compete.

Three additional quota places will allow two male cross-country skiers, Han Chun-gyong and Pak Il-chol, and one female athlete, Ri Yong-gum, to represent their country. Finally, two male athletes, Choe Myong-gwang and Kang Song-il, and one female athlete, Kim Ryon-hyang, will take part in both the giant slalom and slalom skiing events.

Commenting on the agreement, IOC President Thomas Bach stated “the Olympic spirit is about respect, dialogue and understanding. The Olympic winter Games PyeongChang 2018 are hopefully opening the door to a brighter future on the Korean peninsula, and inviting the world to join in a celebration of hope.

“The Olympic Games show us what the world could look like, if we were all guided by the Olympic spirit of respect and understanding. This is the Olympic message that will go from PyeongChang to the world.”

Yoon Young-chan, Chief Press Secretary to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, said that North Korea’s participation will help ease tensions on the peninsula and serve as a stepping stone to establishing peace.

The Yonhap news agency reported Yoon stating “the PyeongChang winter Olympics will work to lay the groundwork for the easing of tensions and the establishment of peace on the Korean peninsula in addition to the reconciliation of the two Koreas.”

Yoon also said that relaxing of tension would help reduce the so-called Korean discount, a term coined for the tendency to undervalue or avoid South Korean stocks due to geopolitical risks associated with the communist North. 

Image: Officials from North and South Korea with IOC President Thomas Bach (centre) at the announcement of North Korean participation at PyeongChang Winter Games.

9th January 2018 - NORTH KOREA TO SEND DELEGATION TO PYEONGCHANG WINTER OLYMPICS 

5th December 2017 - STATE-SPONSORED DOPING PROGRAM SEES RUSSIA BANNED FROM PYEONGCHANG WINTER OLYMPICS 

6th November 2017 - IOC LOOKS TO CENTRALISE OLYMPIC GAMES TICKETING

26th October 2017 - ORGANISERS ANNOUNCE COMPLETION OF ALL PYEONGCHANG WINTER OLYMPICS VENUES 

27th September 2017 - BANKS LOOK TO REVERSE POOR TICKET SALES FOR PYEONGCHANG 2018 WINTER OLYMPICS

5th August 2017 - SOUTH KOREAN ORGANISERS READY TO HOST 2018 WINTER OLYMPICS 

6th April 2017 - VISITOR ATTRACTIONS HIT BY STOLEN CREDIT CARD SCAM

23rd September 2016 - IOC PRESIDENT PROCLAIMS ‘TIME OF ASIA’ AS SPORTS MINISTERS SIGN DECLARATION IN PYEONGCHANG 

31st March 2016 - GANGNEUNG AIMS TO BECOME SOUTH KOREAN WINTER SPORTS HUB AFTER PYEONGCHANG 2018 GAMES

17th December 2015 - PYEONGCHANG WINTER GAMES ASSURE READINESS FOR OLYMPIC TEST EVENTS

Support our industry news service
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?

As an independent publisher, we need reader support for our industry news gathering so ask that - if you don't already do so - you back us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine and/or our online news.