N. Korea intends to participate in 2026 Asian Games in Japan: report
This picture taken on Sept. 7 shows a man walking past an advertisement for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games outside the Nagoya City General Gymnasium Rainbow Hall, the venue for artistic, rhythmic and trampoline gymnastics competitions, at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which is currently under construction in Nagoya, Aichi prefecture. AFP-Yonhap
North Korea has expressed its intent to take part in next year's Asian Games set to be staged in Japan, a report claimed Wednesday.
Citing the organizing committee of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, Kyodo News said North Korea is hoping to send a delegation of about 260 to 270, including some 150 athletes in 17 sports, to the multisport competition.
The 20th Asian Games are scheduled to run from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4 next year in Aichi Prefecture, with the prefecture's capital, Nagoya, serving as the main host.
The Kyodo report said the Japanese government will carefully consider opening its doors to North Korea.
Since February 2016, Japan has banned North Korean citizens from entering as part of sanctions against Pyongyang's repeated ballistic missile firings.
However, Japan made exceptions in sports, allowing North Korean men's and women's football teams to visit the country early last year to play qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Asiad organizing committee will meet with leaders of each national delegation next week and bring them up to date on its preparations. According to Kyodo, North Korea plans to send one of its nationals residing in Japan to the meeting.
At the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, South Korea and North Korea marched under one flag at the opening ceremony and competed as a unified team in basketball, canoeing and rowing. They marched and competed separately at the next Asian Games five years later in China.