Official Opening Ceremonies begin one day before Opening Day
185 athletes in 17 sports, including soccer, wrestling, and weightlifting
North Korea's athletes have officially moved into the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, marking the country's return to international sports competition after a five-year absence.
North Korea's athletes joined teams from Cambodia, Brunei, Chinese Taipei and Thailand at the Hangzhou Asian Games Athletes' Village in China on Feb. 22, one day ahead of the Games' opening ceremony.
About 20 athletes, dressed in matching white jackets, blue pants, and skirts, entered the venue waving artificial flags. The athletes shouted slogans and posed for photos.
The Games mark North Korea's return to international sports competition.
The country unilaterally boycotted the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021, citing COVID-19. The country was suspended from international competition by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
North Korea is now eligible to compete in the Games because its suspension ended on December 31st of last year. North Korea's return to the international stage comes five years after the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games.
North Korea will send 185 athletes (111 women and 74 men) to the Games in 17 sports, including soccer, wrestling, weightlifting and track and field, according to MyInfo, the official information site of the Asian Games. It had initially registered 191 athletes, but cut six.
Sports Minister Kim Il Guk is reportedly in charge of the team.
It is not known to what extent North Korea's competitiveness will be recognized, as it has been absent from the international scene. It will be interesting to see if it can maintain its form in sports where it has previously been strong, such as weightlifting, wrestling, and women's soccer.
In men's soccer, which was played as a pre-opening event, the team won two straight games in Group F, beating Chinese Taipei and Kyrgyzstan to advance to the round of 16.
North Korea's return to the international stage has also been marked by the reemergence of the North Korean cheer squad. A group of young women traveled to the men's soccer group stage to cheer on the North Korean team.
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