“Although the two Koreas have held joint marches in the Opening Ceremony of our Asian Games in the past, they have never competed together as a unified team in an OCA event,” said Mr Al Musallam. “The OCA is ready to offer all encouragement and assistance in this process. We are very happy to hear this news and we welcome all moves that can bring peace through sport and unify people through sports competition.”
The agreement was part of a joint declaration issued after South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held their summit at the truce village of Panmunjom on Friday in front of the watching world.
According to the statement, the two Koreas agreed to compete together in international sporting competitions, including the OCA’s 18th Asian Games 2018, which will be held in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia, from August 18 to September 2.
The OCA is set to conduct the 18th Asian Games Pre-Delegation Registration Meetings with NOCs from East Asia, including DPR Korea and the Republic of Korea, at a regional forum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on May 6-7, and will also hold the ninth and final Coordination Committee meeting with the Indonesian Asian Games Organising Committee (INASGOC) in Jakarta on May 9.
The OCA is expecting around 10,000 athletes from 45 NOCs to compete in 40 sports, 67 disciplines and 463 events at the 18th Asian Games. DPR Korea has been in the global sports spotlight throughout 2018, marching with the Republic of Korea under the Korean Unification flag in the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, on February 9.
For the first time at an international multi-sport event, the two Koreas fielded a joint team, in women’s ice hockey. On March 30, IOC President Thomas Bach visited Pyongyang, DPR Korea, for fruitful talks with the Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un regarding DPRK’s participation in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. (Ocasia.org)