North And South Korea To Combine In Three Sports At The Asian Games
Sporting co-operation to continue at the Asian Games
The sporting diplomacy between North and South Korea after PyeongChang 2018 is surging ahead, stronger and bigger.
At this year’s Asian Games, there will be one Unified Korea team across three sports: basketball, canoeing and rowing.
The Korean athletes will compete as a joint team in six events: women’s basketball (South Korea are the defending champions), men’s and women’s dragon boat racing (a discipline of canoe/kayak) and in three rowing events – lightweight men’s four, lightweight men’s eight and lightweight women’s double scull.
North and South Korea will each provide 100 delegates (athletes plus officials) for the opening ceremony on 18 August.
Historic Asian Games
A meeting in Jakarta chaired by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and attended by the National Olympic Committees representatives from the North and South settled on the joint participation.
“This will be an historic Asian Games for the Olympic Council of Asia and for the continent because it will be the first time that North Korea and South Korea will form a unified team in certain sports,” said the OCA’s Director of International and National Olympic Committee Relations, Mr Vinod Kumar Tiwari.
“They have marched together before in the Opening Ceremony and we are delighted that they are extending their joint cooperation further in the spirit of unity and friendship.”
Picking up on Pyeongchang
Teams from North and South Korea marched as one team at the Opening Ceremony at the PyeongChang Winter Games, and fielded a combined women’s ice hockey team.
The 18th Asian Games that will run from August 18 to September 2 in Jakarta and Palembang, capital of South Sumatra province (Indonesia).
45 countries and regions are expected to compete at the Games.