Factsheet on the “North and South Korean Olympic Participation Meeting”

Official name: “North and South Korean Olympic Participation Meeting”

When: Saturday, 20 January 2018, 9.30 a.m.

Where: IOC Headquarters, Lausanne/Pully

Who: The IOC has convened a four-party meeting. The participants will be delegations from the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and NOC of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), all led by their respective Presidents, and a delegation from the PyeongChang 2018 Organising Committee (POCOG). The DPRK and ROK delegations will include high-ranking government officials at ministerial level. The IOC Members from the respective countries, Mr CHANG Ung and Mr RYU Seung Min, will also be present.

The meeting will be chaired by IOC President Thomas BACH.

The IOC Executive Board will be represented at the talks by Executive Board (EB) Members Gian-Franco KASPER, who is President of the Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations (AIOWF), and Gunilla LINDBERG, who is the Chair of the Coordination Commission PyeongChang 2018.

What: In the framework of its widely recognised autonomy, the IOC will have to take a series of essential decisions. Firstly, with regard to the potential participation of athletes from the NOC of the DPRK in the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, because all deadlines have expired. This will include the number and names of athletes and officials from the NOC of the DPRK. The IOC will have to take the broader important decision on the format of such participation, including matters related to the official protocol (flag, anthem, ceremonies, uniform, etc.).

These decisions can be taken at this meeting because the IOC EB has given full authority to the IOC delegation.

The IOC and sport on the Korean Peninsula:

• 1988 – Despite negotiations, athletes from the DPRK did not participate at the Olympic Games Seoul 1988.

• 1998 – The IOC started talks for participation of a unified Korean team at the Olympic Games Sydney 2000.

• 2000 – Athletes from the NOC of the ROK and the NOC of the DPRK marched jointly behind the Korean unification flag in the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Sydney 2000, but competed for their respective NOCs.

• 2004 – Athletes from the NOC of the ROK and the NOC of the DPRK marched jointly behind the Korean unification flag in the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Athens 2004, but competed for their respective NOCs.

• 2006 – Athletes from the NOC of the ROK and the NOC of the DPRK marched jointly behind the Korean unification flag in the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games Turin 2006, but competed for their respective NOCs.

• 2014 – The IOC started to evaluate the situation on the Korean Peninsula, beginning with discussions at the level of Head of State and with the United Nations.

• 2014 – The IOC offered a special programme of support to athletes from the NOC of the DPRK for their qualification for the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.

• 2016 – During the Olympic Games Rio 2016, a meeting was held between the IOC and a high-level governmental delegation from the DPRK. In this meeting, the IOC also discussed its special programme of support to the athletes of the NOC of the DPRK to help with their qualification and participation within the framework of the United Nations sanctions.

• 2017 – Starting in January 2017, this process was amplified with a series of meetings and talks with Heads of State and Government from different countries in the region and beyond, and also at the United Nations; and with continuing discussions with the NOC of the DRPK.

• 2017 – Numerous meetings and consultations with representatives of the NOC of the DPRK were held. The talks included the evaluation of the special programme of support that started in 2014. The programme was developed with a special view to athletes potentially qualifying for and participating at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.

• November 2017 – The IOC President, in his address to the United Nations General Assembly, expressly reiterated the invitation “to everyone to join us at the Olympic Winter Games 2018” and continued by saying: “Everyone is invited to celebrate our shared values, to celebrate the best of the human spirit, to celebrate our unity in diversity.” The UN General Assembly adopted by consensus the resolution “Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal”. The consensus for the Olympic Truce resolution included both the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, as well as the future hosts of the Olympic Games: Japan, China, France and the United States of America.

• January 2018 – The IOC convened the “North and South Korean Olympic Participation Meeting” in Lausanne on Saturday 20 January 2018.

Media arrangements: There will be a statement by the IOC President after the meeting on Saturday. The statement will be made at The Olympic Museum in Lausanne. The time will depend on the progress of the talks. There is also the opportunity for pool photographers and cameramen to attend the arrival of the delegations at the IOC headquarters at 8.50 a.m. Media arrangements for this day will be made in The Olympic Museum – details to follow.

The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit independent international organisation made up of volunteers, which is committed to building a better world through sport. It redistributes more than 90 per cent of its income to the wider sporting movement, which means that every day the equivalent of 3.4 million US dollars goes to help athletes and sports organisations at all levels around the world.

For more information, please contact the IOC Media Relations Team:
Tel: +41 21 621 6000, email: pressoffice@olympic.org, or visit our web site at www.olympic.org.

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