FILE–Bronze medalists from North Korea celebrate during the medal ceremony for the women artistic swimming competition during the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta on August 29, 2018. (Photo by Martin BUREAU / AFP)
North Korea has registered to participate in this year’s Asian Games in China, a move that could potentially mark the country’s comeback to the international sports stage after the COVID-19 pandemic, Kyodo reported on Wednesday.
The Asian Games will take place in Hangzhou, China, from Sep. 23 to Oct. 8, a year after being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is not known if North Korea will ease its tight COVID-19 restrictions.
North Korea has self-imposed lockdowns aimed at preventing COVID-19 outbreaks and is under strict international sanctions over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.
North Korea skipped the 2024 Olympic Games qualifying weightlifting competition in Cuba earlier this month after registering 14 athletes for the tournament.
Kyodo reported that China’s deputy sports minister Zhou Jinqiang said that this year’s edition would be the “largest and highest-level international comprehensive sports event”, with 45 Olympic Asian committees participating.