North And South Korea To Jointly Participate In Tokyo Olympics 2020

North and South Korea have decided to participate as one team in the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

After Inter-Korean sports talks, both the rival nations issued a joint statement saying that they want to participate as a unified team in the international event and would also participate jointly at the 2019 World Men's Handball Championship to be held in Germany, CNN reported.

Welcoming the decision, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach said, "After we opened the door for political talks with the joint march of the two Korean teams at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, the sport could once more make a contribution to peace on the Korean Peninsula and the world."

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Bach further said that the IOC would support sports exchanges and athletes of the two Korean countries in their participation at the global level.

"In my talks with the leaders of the two countries, the IOC committed itself to continue to support the rapprochement between the two Koreas through sport by supporting athletes and enabling their participation in international competitions and promoting sports exchanges between the two countries," he added.

Additionally, North and South Korea have also planned to send a letter to the IOC with an intention to co-host the 2032 Summer Games.

Earlier this year, the Koreans had marched under a unified flag at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics held in Pyeongchang, while they jointly competed in the Women's Ice Hockey event of the same.

READ: North Korea And South Korea To Hold High-Level Talks

South and North Korean officials have discussed on Friday, October 31 the possibility of submitting a joint bid for hosting the 2032 Summer Olympic Games.

"The government is going to discuss during at these talks the issues related to exchanges and cooperation in sports, primarily, the issue of joint (bid for) hosting the 2032 Summer Olympic Games of South and North (Korea) as well as the joint participation of South and North Korean athletes in the 2020 Summer Olympics and other international sports events," the ministry said in a statement.