Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), expressed hope for the divided Koreas to form a unified team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics despite ongoing cross-border tension from Pyongyang's recent nuclear test, according to South Korea's top Olympic official Sunday.
The IOC president hoped that the talks for the unified team would show some progress at the 15th Asian Games slated for December in Doha, Qatar, according to South Korea Olympic Committee President Kim Jung-kil, who met with Rogge at the 5th World Forum on Sport, Education and Culture in Beijing.
Last September, Olympic agencies of the two Koreas agreed in principle to form a joint team for the Beijing Olympics, but they have yet to agree on details. North Korea remained unresponsive to a South Korean proposal for follow-up talks after two rounds of working discussions.
The biggest discrepancy was the number of members of the squad and ways of selecting athletes. North Korea insisted the squad must consist of an equal number of athletes from both sides, while the South is pushing for selection by merit.
Kim and Rogge agreed to cooperate in forming the proposed single team, Kim said, amid lingering regional tension after North Korea's Oct. 9 nuclear test.
The IOC president, who had promised to increase the number of athletes for the envisioned unified team, is currently in talks with international sports federations on whether this will be possible, Kim said.
Gimcheon, South Korea, Oct. 22 (Yonhap News)
IOC hopes to see unified Korean Olympic team despite nuclear tension |
