International Olympic Committee: North Korea’s qualification for the Olympic Committee was suspended due to a violation of the Tokyo Olympic Games and missed the Beijing Winter Olympics
[Global Times]The official website of the International Olympic Committee announced on the 9th Beijing time that due to the unilateral decision of the North Korean Olympic Committee not to participate in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the IOC Executive Committee will immediately suspend the qualifications of the North Korean Olympic Committee until the end of 2022. The Executive Committee reserves the right to reconsider the suspension period. According to the International Olympic Committee, the North Korean Olympic Committee is the only national (regional) Olympic Committee that did not participate in the Tokyo Olympics. In the months before the Tokyo Olympics, the IOC and the North Korean Olympic Committee conducted various communications. Discussed and repeatedly confirmed that the competition was safe, and promised a variety of personalized plans such as the provision of new crown vaccines, but these were rejected by the North Korean Olympic Committee.
Missed the Beijing Winter Olympics
In March of this year, the North Korean Olympic Committee decided not to participate in the Tokyo Olympics because of the spread of the epidemic and the need to protect athletes. A ticket for the International Olympics means that the North Korean delegation will miss the Beijing Winter Olympics in February 2022. The penalty is based on the North Korean Olympic Committee’s refusal to form a team to participate in the Tokyo Olympics on the grounds of fear of the new crown epidemic in Japan. This move was not fulfilled. Duties and violate the “Olympic Charter.”
In addition, the suspended North Korean Olympic Committee will not be able to obtain relevant funding from the IOC, nor will it be able to participate in IOC related activities. If any North Korean athletes qualify for the Beijing Winter Olympics, the IOC Executive Committee will make appropriate decisions from the athlete’s perspective.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on the 9th that we noticed that the DPRK did not participate in the Tokyo Olympics due to the epidemic and noticed related news on the IOC website. As the host country, China is actively advancing the preparations for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. We are confident and able to hold a simple, safe and exciting Olympic Games as scheduled. We are willing to maintain communication with the International Olympic Committee and relevant countries and regions on matters such as athletes and delegations coming to China to participate in the competition.
North Korea made 9 Winter Olympic appearances
In fact, this is not the first time North Korea has said “no” to the Olympics. After North Korea was absent from the 1988 Seoul Olympics, it was not suspended or banned from participating in the Winter Olympics. North Korean delegations appeared at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics. In history, the North Korean delegation made a total of 9 appearances in the Winter Olympics, and scored 1 silver and 1 bronze in speed skating and short track speed skating.
The most recent Winter Olympics that North Korea participated in was the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. The North Korea-South Korea team played the Korean Peninsula flag at the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. “The insider of the stadium” stated, “The decision of the International Olympic Committee to suspend the qualifications of the North Korean Olympic Committee is far from the decision made before the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. At the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, the IOC did its best to ensure that North Korea Formed the first women’s joint ice hockey team in the history of the Winter Olympics with South Korea.”
Discuss epidemic prevention measures in the coming weeks
International Olympic Committee President Bach said on the 8th that the Beijing Winter Olympics will implement the same epidemic prevention principles as the Tokyo Olympics. Bach said that the International Olympic Committee and the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee will discuss epidemic prevention measures for the Beijing Winter Olympics in the next few weeks and listen to the suggestions of international experts and the World Health Organization. Bach said that in fact, the two sides have reached a consensus in principle, that is, the Beijing Winter Olympics will implement the same epidemic prevention principles as the Tokyo Olympics.