North Korea "Decides to Withdraw from Tokyo Olympics... Protecting Athletes from COVID-19"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] North Korea has decided not to participate in the Tokyo Olympics scheduled for July.

On the 6th, the North Korean Ministry of Sports announced on its website that "the Olympic Committee General Assembly was held in Pyongyang on the 25th of last month," and that this decision was made at the assembly.

The Ministry of Sports stated, "At the General Assembly, it was discussed and decided, following the proposals of the committee members, not to participate in the 32nd Olympic Games in order to protect athletes from the global health crisis caused by COVID-19."

The assembly, conducted via video conference, included discussions on this year's business summary (settlement) and next year's business direction. Minister of Sports Kim Il-guk delivered a report, and during the subsequent discussion, participants talked about the tasks and methods specifically outlined at the second plenary meeting to advance North Korea into the ranks of advanced sports nations. Additionally, practical issues related to laying the foundation for the development of professional sports technology this year and actively organizing and conducting mass sports activities were discussed.

The discussants emphasized, "During the new five-year plan period, the number of medals won at international competitions must be continuously increased to raise the enthusiasm for sports throughout the entire country."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.