Olympia: Organizers reject reports of Bach trip to North Korea

The head of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang has contradicted reports of an allegedly imminent trip to North Korea by IOC President Thomas Bach.

“I was disappointed by the report, which is completely unfounded,” said Lee Hee-beom to the AFP news agency:”North Korea faces international sanctions, and such a journey is difficult to realize.

The South Korean news agency Yonhap had previously reported with reference to government-related sources in Seoul that Bach could travel to Pyongyang this year to talk to officials in North Korea about the country’s participation in the Winter Games. Organizers of the Games in Pyeongchang (9. till 25. February) wish to have the athletes from North Korea take part to send a sign of peace from the tense area.

The last time the dictatorially ruled North Korea had missed the deadline for the ISU World Figure Skating Federation’s registration deadline for the athletically qualified pair runners Ryom Tae Ok and Kim Ju Sik. A couple from Japan is now entitled to the vacant place. However, the regulations still permit the granting of an additional start approval by the IOC.

Recently, the unauthorised missile tests by North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un have intensified the conflict with US President Donald Trump. Numerous athletes also expressed concern about the safety of Pyeongchang, which is only 80 kilometres from the northern border.