North Korea appeared at an international sports festival for the first time in five years at the Hangzhou Asian Games, but there was controversy over the raising of the national flag.

The 19th Asian Games opened in Hangzhou, China on the 23rd of this month, marking the first time in five years that North Korea participated in a comprehensive international sports festival. North Korea has registered over 190 athletes for this tournament. Sapphic
Participate in competitions such as cars and table tennis. The athletes appeared at the opening ceremony held on the 23rd, but at that time, they marched into the venue holding the North Korean flag, which is prohibited from being displayed at international tournaments.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) considers this a problem. WADA plans to hold the tournament organizers accountable. North Korea competed in the first comprehensive international tournament since the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia.
It was a return to the Ports festival. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has unilaterally decided not to participate in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has decided not to participate in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Until then, he had been suspended from participating in international competitions. North Korea has taken strict measures to close its borders during the coronavirus pandemic, but other countries such as Japan and South Korea are pushing ahead with policies to help them return to normalcy.
As if to keep pace with this trend, the country opened its borders and resumed human traffic. In May, it was reported that North Korea was in the process of registering athletes for the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Prior to the opening ceremony, a men's soccer match was held on the 19th, with North Korea in Group F playing against Taiwan. We won 2-0. The game used to be held at an international sports tournament.
A North Korean female cheering team appeared, attracting attention for their cheering. According to the Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo, four female cheerleaders wearing light pink T-shirts and hats were at the venue cheering on the players.
sent. The paper said, ``The North Korean cheering team looked at the pitch with solemn faces as the North Korean national team appeared with the North Korean flag at the front.When the match started immediately after, they wore fans from beginning to end.
They cheered loudly for the players while waving their hands. When North Korea's Ri Cho-kuk scored the opening goal in the 7th minute of the first half, the cheering team shed tears, and when Kim Kook-jin scored the winning goal, they cried, "Kim Kuk-jin...
Kuching! ' he kept shouting. When North Korea's goalkeeper made a fine save, they shouted, ``Well done, North Korea's gatekeeper, that's cool,'''' he said, referring to the cheering squad at the venue. support
The team also appeared at the men's soccer game against Kyrgyzstan on the 21st, and according to the newspaper, the number of cheering squad members had increased to more than 30 at this game. Also, as NHK reported, citing a person involved,
According to the report, the cheering teams are not dispatched from their home countries, but are employees working at North Korean restaurants in China. On the 22nd, the North Korean team also participated in Brunei, Cambodia, Palestine, and Tanzania.
Lee, held an entrance ceremony with the Taiwanese athletes. Approximately 20 North Korean athletes entered the stadium wearing white jackets, blue pants, and skirts, waving national flags. According to South Korea's Yonhap News, players
The representative of the group was Oh Kwang-hyuk, who is believed to be the vice minister of the Ministry of Sports. After completing the entrance ceremony, the North Korean athletes reportedly returned to their accommodation in silence, but according to Yonhap, a man believed to be their coach was
When asked about his goal for this tournament, he said, ``Winning the championship. I'm looking forward to a good result.'' Yonhap said, ``In light of North Korea's military strength, it is more than a realistic goal to aim for at the international tournament it is participating in for the first time in five years.''
This can be interpreted as a pledge to fight the good fight." The opening ceremony was held on the 23rd, and the North Korean athletes were led by boxer Bang Chul-min, who served as the flag bearer, and Park Myung-won, a marksman.
They marched in waving flags. At the last Asian Games held in Jakarta in 2018, North Korea formed a joint team with South Korea, but relations between the two Koreas are currently deteriorating.
There was no sign of any effort to seek cooperation between the teams. In conjunction with the opening ceremony, North Korean Sports Minister Kim Il-guk, the top official of the Olympic Committee, arrived in Hangzhou. Also at the opening ceremony
It is believed that he attended. North Korea has used the Olympics and Asian Games as diplomatic venues in the past, and is expected to seek to strengthen its relationship with China this time as well.
Meanwhile, the display of the North Korean flag at the tournament has caused controversy. World Anti-Doping Agency (WAD)
A) has imposed sanctions on North Korea, prohibiting it from displaying its national flag at international tournaments, but it was confirmed that it was being displayed at the athletes' village at the tournament and at the men's table tennis team match held on the 22nd. has been done. Open
The flag bearer entered the ceremony holding a large national flag. WADA plans to hold host country China accountable, but South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo says, ``It is unknown whether binding measures will actually be possible.''
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