North Korea announced on Tuesday that it had decided not to participate in the 32nd Summer Olympics in Tokyo because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The decision was made when the National Olympic Committee of the North met in Pyongyang on March 25th and decided that a delegation would skip the Tokyo Olympics, scheduled for July 23rd to August 8th, “to our athletes protect from the global health crisis caused by the malignant viral infection, “said the government-run sport in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
It’s the first Summer Olympics the North has skipped since boycotting the Seoul Olympics in 1988.
North Korea, which has a rundown public health system, has taken tough measures against the virus since the beginning of last year, including closing its borders. The country officially claims there are no Covid-19 cases, but outside health experts remain skeptical.
North Korea’s decision robs South Korea and other nations of a rare opportunity to make official contact with the isolated country. Officials in the south had hoped the Olympics could provide a venue for high-level delegates from both Koreas to discuss issues beyond the sport.
The 2018 Winter Olympics in the South Korean city of Pyeongchang provided such an opportunity. Kim Yo-jong, the only sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, attracted worldwide attention when she became the first member of the Kim family to cross the border into South Korea to attend the opening ceremony.
Mr. Kim used the North’s participation in the Pyeongchang Olympics as a signal to begin diplomacy after a series of nuclear and long-range missile tests. The inter-Korean dialogue soon followed, leading to three summit meetings between Mr. Kim and President Moon Jae-in of South Korea. Mr. Kim also met three times with President Donald J. Trump.
Since the collapse of Mr Kim’s diplomacy with Mr Trump in 2019, North Korea has avoided official contact with South Korea or the United States. The pandemic has deepened its diplomatic isolation and economic difficulties amid concerns over its nuclear ambitions. North Korea launched two ballistic missiles in its first such test in a year on March 25 to challenge President Biden.
The Tokyo Games, which start in July, were originally scheduled for 2020 but have been postponed for a year due to the pandemic. The Tokyo Organizing Committee has made efforts to develop security protocols to protect both attendees and local residents from the virus. Concern is high in Japan, with large majorities in polls saying the Games shouldn’t be held this summer.
A number of health, economic and political challenges have besieged the Games. Even when the organizers decided last month to exclude international viewers, Epidemiologists warn that the Olympics could turn into a superspreader event. Thousands of athletes and other participants will come to Tokyo from more than 200 countries while much of the Japanese public remains unvaccinated.
