Share on Twitter North Korea announced in March that the country would not take part in the Tokyo Olympics this year. A website for the nation’s Ministry of Sport announced North Korea would not compete to protect its athletes “from the global public health crisis.” North Korea’s no-show is the first time the nation will be absent from the Olympic Games since 1988 - when it boycotted the Seoul Games during the Cold War. In a statement, the International Olympics Committee said it had not received “an official application” for North Korea to skip the Tokyo Olympics. "Unfortunately, the [National Olympic Committee] of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was, despite several requests of the IOC, not in a position to hold a telephone conference," the spokesperson said.