(ATR) They danced around the PyeongChang 2018 mascot Soohorang as a full marching band serenaded them.
With that, North Korea was welcomed to the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Each country participating in the Olympics receives a welcome ceremony into the Olympic Village. Traditionally the ceremonies are low-key affairs with a local flavored performance to welcome athletes upon arrival. Media attend the events to capture footage for video packages, or to speak with specific athletes in a more relaxed setting.
The welcome ceremony for the North Korean delegation was overrun with media, leading organizers struggling to keep a semblance of control. Throughout the event volunteers and staff worked to allow the North Korean athletes and officials to get to and from the ceremony.
As has been a trend throughout the Olympics, the North Korean officials gave sparse quotes to journalists when being bombarded with questions.
"I am from the North, so I cannot make any judgment on everything," an unnamed North Korean official told a handful of journalists on the sidelines of the ceremony. "I am glad they are giving all the convenience of everything to us."
When pressed with further questions, the official put his hand on his mouth and began to walk away.
"It is really nice to see this people coming together," Kil U Won, the North Korean chef de mission, said at one point.
Standing next to Won throughout the ceremony was North Korean figure skater Tae Ok Ryom. Ryom is one half of the pair figure skating team that qualified for the 2018 Olympics on merit. The other athletes in the delegation were awarded wild card spots by the IOC to participate at PyeongChang.
The delegation of 22 athletes and 25 officials participated in the full ceremony. It included a welcome by the Gangneung Olympic Village mayor, an exchanging of gifts, a signing of the Olympic truce wall, and then a Korean dance performance.
After the dance performance, a North Korean marching band prolonged the ceremony by performing four songs. The tunes appeared to raise the spirit of the North Korean athletes, who appeared stoic, occasionally clapping along to the PyeongChang 2018 welcome. According to South Korean media, the first song the band performed is known as the "welcome to meet you" song.
Once the performance ended, reporters mobbed the delegation hoping for more quotes and pictures. Staff then rushed to clear a path for the delegation to go on into the village, beyond the access of reporters.
Written and reported by Aaron Bauerin Gangneung.
For general comments or questions,click here.
25 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.
PUBLICIDAD
PUBLICIDAD
Últimas Noticias
Utah’s Olympic venues an integral part of the equation as Salt Lake City seeks a Winter Games encore
Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation chief of sport development Luke Bodensteiner says there is a “real urgency to make this happen in 2030”. He discusses the mission of the non-profit organization, the legacy from the 2002 Winter Games and future ambitions.
IOC president tells Olympic Movement “we will again have safe and secure Olympic Games” in Beijing
Thomas Bach, in an open letter on Friday, also thanked stakeholders for their “unprecedented” efforts to make Tokyo 2020 a success despite the pandemic.
Boxing’s place in the Olympics remains in peril as IOC still unhappy with the state of AIBA’s reform efforts
The IOC says issues concerning governance, finance, and refereeing and judging must be sorted out to its satisfaction. AIBA says it’s confident that will happen and the federation will be reinstated.
IOC president details Olympic community efforts to get Afghans out of danger after Taliban return to power
Thomas Bach says the Afghanistan NOC remains under IOC recognition, noting that the current leadership was democratically elected in 2019. But he says the IOC will be monitoring what happens in the future. The story had been revealed on August 31 in an article by Miguel Hernandez in Around the Rings
North Korea suspended by IOC for failing to participate in Tokyo though its athletes could still take part in Beijing 2022
Playbooks for Beijing 2022 will ”most likely” be released in October, according to IOC President Thomas Bach.
