Will North Korean players play at Pyeongchang?

Will North Korean players play at Pyeongchang?. February. 09, 2017 07:04. by Jong-Seok Kim kjs0123@donga.com.

As the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Games Olympics will open in a year, there is much attention towards the possible participation from North Korea and Russia.

On Feb. 19, North Korea will dispatch its winter sports team to the 2017 Sapporo Asian Winter Games held in Hokkaido, Japan. During the period, speculations are that under-the-table discussions on North Korea’s qualification for the next year’s winter games will take place. “The door is open to all nations, and this of course applies to North Korea as well. A peaceful Olympics is one of our five values,” said Lee Hee-beom, head of the PyeongChang Organizing Committee. The upcoming Winter Olympics envisions five Olympics; economy, culture, environment, peace, and Information Communication Technology (ICT).

Once North Korean players appear at PyeongChang Olympics, the currently strained inter-Korean relationship may start to show improvements. Still, their participation is yet to be seen, as North Korean players significantly lack competency. The North failed to vie for the Sochi 2014 Winter Games Olympics, as it was nearly impossible for them to qualify quotas with weak competency in winter sports compared to international standards. An official of Korean Olympic Committee explained that “in order to participate in the Olympics, every nation is required to secure an Olympic quota for each event from competitions held by the International Federation (IF).”

For North Korea, one of the most promising events to claim a ticket to Pyeongchang is figure skating. Rookies include Han Geum-cheol (Men’s single) and Park So-hyang and Song Nam-I (Pair). For these players to qualify for the Olympics, quotas should be secured from the World Championship in March, where 24 quotas are allotted among the 30. When North Korean figure skaters fail to secure quotas, they are left with little choice but to win the remaining six tickets at the qualifying event.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) also distributes wild cards to encourage more nations play in the event. One sports diplomacy expert said that “when required, wild cards will be a viable option, as there are justifiable reasons that it will contribute to world peace.”

While traditionally strong in winter sports, Russia is also faced with numerous barriers as they make their way into Pyeongchang. Russia is currently bombarded internationally, as the government is accused of leading the massive doping (administering drugs to enhance sporting performance) scandal.