The communist dictatorship decided not to take part in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
According to South Korean information, North Korea only broadcast the first images of competitions at the Olympic Games in Tokyo two days after the closing ceremony. Last Tuesday, the neighboring country's central television station showed the football match between women from Great Britain and Chile in a shortened version, said a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Unification in Seoul on Friday. The match between Brazil and China followed – both took place on July 21st.
North Korea did not take part in the games. The country justified its rejection with the health risks associated with the corona pandemic for athletes. North Korea is one of the most strictly isolated countries in the world. Because of the pandemic, it had also closed its borders at the beginning of last year.
Football plays a big role
North Korean state television usually broadcasts pictures of the Olympic Games a few days after the opening ceremony, reported the South Korean news agency Yonhap. The delay this year seems to have something to do with the decision not to take part in the summer games.
Why North Korea chose the women's Olympic soccer tournament first was unclear. However, football plays a huge role in North Korean sport. It is also not clear where North Korea got the records of the games, said the ministry spokeswoman in Seoul.
The journalist Colin Zwirko of the North Korean news site NK News in South Korea tweeted that North Korea also had the women's volleyball game between Italy and Serbia, a women's swimming competition and the rowers' single final as part of the Olympic coverage this week shown to the men.
