No South-North team at Universiade

Jang Jong-nam, vice president of North Korea’s National University Sports Federation, center, participates in the draw session during the heads of delegation meeting of the 28th Universiade at the Holiday Inn in Gwangju, Monday. / Yonhap

By Nam Hyun-woo

GWANGJU ― No joint team of South and North Koreas will be formed for the 2015 Gwangju Universiade, the organizers for the student games said Monday.

“As the draw session for the team events was held today, it became almost impossible to have a single team between the two Koreas,” said Gwangju Universiade Organizing Committee (GUOC) Secretary General Kim Yoon-suk, during the heads of delegation meeting of the 28th Universiade at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Gwangju.

Since the North suggested its participation to the Gwangju Universiade last month, expectations and controversy have mounted whether the athletes from the two Koreas might compete on a single team.

The organizers did not reject the possibility of a unified team as it might be a boost for the Universiade. However, the two sides did not make enough progress before the draw session.

“No more talks over the unified team,” Kim said, “It (having a single team) should have been considered when the North submitted its entry, but that did not happen.”

Instead, Kim said the organizing committee expects to light the torch in Mount Baekdu and Mount Mudeung, and join the fire in the Imjingak Pavilion. Mount Baekdu is located at the North Korea-China border and Mount Mudeung is in Gwangju. Imjingak Pavilion is in placed Paju, Gyeonggi Province, near the Demilitarized Zone.

“FISU (the International University Sports Federation) will do its best for desirable outcomes, including the torch relay,” said FISU Secretary General Eric Saintrond. “Should the two countries come to a decision, the FISU will accept the opinion and make the final decision.”

A total of 110 representatives from 51 countries' university sports federations gathered in Gwangju for the heads of delegation meeting Sunday, and were briefed on preparations for the student games and provided. After the draw session, the delegations went on to tour the venues and the athletes' village.

The Universiade is scheduled to kick off its 12-day run on July 3. It is the third of its kind in South Korea, following the 1997 Winter Universiade in Muju and Jeonju and the 2003 Summer Universiade in Daegu. Some 20,000 athletes and staffers from more than 170 countries are expected to visit the southwestern city and vie for 272 golds in 21 sports.

“During the past five years, Gwangju and (South) Korea have been paying full efforts to provide the best environment for participants to show their best performances,” Kim said. “This meeting is the first official interaction between delegations and the organizers, and the GUOC will do its best to provide the latest information about the Universiade.”

During the draw session for the team events, another potential inter-Korean competition was briefly created as the two Koreas were separated in different pools of women's football and women's handball events.

However, the South Korean women’s football team was paired with Ireland, Chinese Taipei and Czech Republic in Pool A, while the North was grouped with Brazil, China and Poland in Pool C. In women's handball, South Korea was also placed in Pool A with Japan, China and Ukraine, while North Korea is in Pool B with Brazil, Czech Republic and Slovakia.

For other sports, South Korea's men's basketball team is paired with Estonia, Germany, China, Angola and Mozambique in Pool A. The U.S., which will be represented by the men's basketball team of Kansas University, is grouped with Serbia, Brazil, Turkey, Chile and Switzerland.

In men's football, South Korea will face Canada, Italy and Chinese Taipei in Pool A, while favorites such as France and Brazil were placed in Pool B and Pool C, respectively.