IOC "No Official Notice of North Korea's Olympic Withdrawal"... Paralympics "Confirmed Participation"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Regarding North Korea's announcement that it will not participate in the Tokyo Olympics scheduled to open in July, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stated on the 6th (local time) that it has not officially received a notification of non-participation. However, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) confirmed that it has received related information from North Korea.

According to Japan's Kyodo News and others, the IOC said on the same day, "We have not received any official request from North Korea's National Olympic Committee (NOC) for exemption from the obligation to participate in the Tokyo Olympic Games under the Olympic Charter," adding, "Unfortunately, North Korea's NOC has not been willing to hold a teleconference despite multiple requests from the IOC."

However, it was confirmed that North Korea officially communicated its non-participation to the IPC. The IPC announced, "We have received confirmation from North Korea's National Paralympic Committee (NPC) that they will not participate in Tokyo 2020."

The IPC emphasized, "It goes without saying that many countries want to participate in Tokyo 2020, and we are working hard with each country's NPC to maximize participation related to Olympic qualifiers and other events," adding, "We are closely cooperating with Tokyo 2020, the IOC, the Japanese government, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government on measures to safely hold the games this summer."

Earlier, North Korea held a general meeting of the Korean Olympic Committee in Pyongyang on the 25th of last month and decided not to participate in the Tokyo Olympics held in July to protect athletes amid the COVID-19 situation.