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North Korea skipped the Tokyo Olympics before but under different circumstances insidethegames.biz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from insidethegames.biz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Thursday, 15 April 2021
North Korea’s withdrawal from the upcoming Olympics has echoes of the 1964 Games in Tokyo although the reasons behind it are very different.
Earlier this month, Pyongyang announced that it would not take part to protect athletes from the global health crisis caused by the coronavirus.
The regime claims that there are no cases of COVID-19 in North Korea.
The boycott comes as international relations with the West have hardened despite attempts by the Olympic Movement to build closer relationships in recent years.
It was a similar story approaching the Tokyo Games in 1964.
Protracted negotiations had finally seen North Korea join the Olympic family. They made their debut at the Winter Games in Innsbruck but, later that year, withdrew their entire team of 180 from Tokyo after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned six members for taking part in an unsanctioned event.