International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday to discuss development of sports in North Korea.
PYONGYANG, North Korea — International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach met with Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang on Friday and said the North Korean leader is committed to having his country participate in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics and the Beijing Winter Games in 2022.
« We had a very fruitful meeting where it became clear that the supreme leader has a clear vision of the role that sport can play in a society with regard to education, with regard to health, » Bach said after the two met on Friday for a 30-minute formal meeting followed by a 45 minutes of casual conversation while watching a football match at Pyongyang’s May Day Stadium.
He added that Kim told him the North’s participation in the Pyeongchang games and marching together with South Korean athletes were an « important contribution to a peaceful dialogue. »
Bach, who also met with North Korea’s sports minister, said he received a commitment from the county’s National Olympic Committee to participate in Tokyo in 2020 and Beijing in 2022, along with competing in the respective youth Olympic Games.
« This commitment has been fully supported by the supreme leader Kim Jong Un in a meeting we had this afternoon, » he said. « He explained that sport is a pillar in his policy for the future development of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. »
Bach arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday to discuss development of sports in North Korea and the preparation of its athletes to qualify and participate in upcoming Olympics as of the 22 North Korean athletes who competed in Pyeongchang, only two won places on merit and the other 20 were granted special spots by the IOC.
