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North Korea fails to qualify for Winter Olympics

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North Korea fails to qualify for Winter Olympics

Head of People's Assembly still plans on attending Games' opening

February 4th, 2014
Joseph Sugarman

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For the first time in 12 years, no North Korean athlete has qualified for the Winter Olympics, though they nonetheless plan to send a representative to the Games this month in Sochi, Russia.

North Korean athletes have participated in the Winter Olympics six times since the Innsbruck Games in 1966. These are the first Games since the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, that the North Korean team will have missed.

Also, the Yonhap News Agency quoted an official from the International Olympic Committee who said that no athlete from the North would receive a special “wild card” granted by international sporting organizations.

Olympic wild cards were developed so that less-developed nations’ could participate in the international sporting event.

Nonetheless, however, the DPRK is reportedly intent on sending a high profile representative to Sochi, Russia, where this year’s Winter Olympics will take place later this month. Kim Yong Nam, President of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly and the de-facto head of state, is planning on attending the Games this year.

According to the DPRK’s Ambassador to Russia, Kim Yong Jae, “under the set schedule (Kim) is due to be there on February 6-8. The plan includes a meeting with the Federation Council chairperson, (Valentina Matviyenko).”

The opening ceremony will take place February 7.

However, at present it was not clear whether the Russian government would accept Kim’s presence, the Asia Times reported. Customarily, only those heads of state representing nations taking part in the Games take part in the opening ceremony.

North Korea first participated in the Olympics at the Winter Games in 1964 in Innsbruck, Austria, eight years before they participated in their first Summer Games in Munich. Their appearances in the Winter Olympics have been inconsistent, as they have missed five of 12. They have medaled twice at the Winter Olympics, with a silver in speed skating in 1964 in Innsbruck, and a bronze in short track speed skating in the 1992 Games in Albertville, France.

Their participation in the Summer Games has been more regular and noteworthy, having medaled 47 times, including 12 golds, and participating every year since 1972 save 1984 and 1988.

They boycotted the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles along with their allies in the Communist Bloc, and the 1988 Games taking place in Seoul, capital of their rival South Korea, after their endeavor to co-host those Games was denied.

Picture: Matt May, Flickr Creative Commons


 
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