The Olympic Games officially kick off with a parade this Friday evening of more than 200 delegations, including that of a country that was not present at the last Olympic Games: North Korea. For the first time in eight years, the country will present athletes. During the previous Olympic Games, Pyongyang had opted for a total shutdown of the country in the midst of a pandemic. But for this Paris edition, the North Korean Olympic Committee wants to assert its ambitions.
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A modest delegation of 16 athletes made the trip to Paris, marking the great return of North Korean sport to the international stage. For a long time, the regime’s strategy was to send its athletes to major events. Although closely monitored, they could participate in the Olympics and allowed Pyongyang to serve its propaganda. But after missing the Tokyo Games, the pandemic and prolonged isolation have considerably reduced the chances of medals for this Parisian Olympics.
No weightlifting, the king sport north of the 38th parallel with 18 Olympic medals. The athletes were able to resume competition too late to hope for qualification… The same goes for the women’s football team, one of the best in Asia.
But hopes are turning to wrestling, where five athletes, mostly women, will try to win a medal. Boxing, diving, gymnastics and table tennis also give hope to the North Korean delegation.
A marathon runner will also take part in the competition. But without having achieved the minimums and with a place of 334th in the world ranking, he comes above all to participate. A chance that the athletes who could have aspired to the Paralympics will not have. They will be absent, due to lack of funding and visas for the qualifying events.
Read alsoToday’s Olympic Games Events Schedule