The Koreas May Be On Their Way To Sending A Joint Team To The Olympics

As delegates from North Korea and South Korea prepare to meet on Monday, the Olympic Committee is mulling whether to allow a single Korean women’s ice hokey team to compete. So far, only North Korea’s pairs figure skating team is qualified to participate in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

Monday’s meeting between North and South will reportedly include talks of the North’s art troop heading to the Olympics. Later this week, the Olympic Committee will discuss the South’s proposal of a unified Korean hokey team.

North and South Korean athletes have never jointly competed in the Olympics. However, they have participated in the same games will larger or smaller incidents, taking into consideration that these two countries are still at war with one another. For example, North Korea boycotted he Summer Olympic Games in Seoul in 1988. Nevertheless, at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, the Korean teams did something that was not expected before – they entered the Olympic arena under the same flag, something which is quite incredible for countries which are engaged a conflict which lasts for more than half a century. The following years of 2004 and 2006, the delegations continued the practice of marching together at the opening, each time carrying the flag of unified Korea in the true spirit of the Olympic Games. This is why the upcoming talks have such a great significance.

The International Olympic Committee is scheduled to meet with both Korean Olympic Committees, and the International Hockey Federation and or the games’ Organizing Committee on January 20th.