Sport unites the two Koreas at the 2018 Asian Games
North Koreans will train near Seoul with South Korean athletes. The two Koreas will compete together in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia in dragon boat, women's basketball and rowing.
Seoul (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Sports can encourage détente and help politics. One example is the decision by North and South Korea to field unified teams at the next Asian Games, this according to South Korean officials.
The sporting event is set for 18 August-2 September in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia. North and South Korean athletes will begin training together next Saturday.
In a press briefing yesterday, Baik Tae-hyun, spokesman for South Korea’s Unification Ministry, said a North Korean delegation of 34 will fly to the South via Beijing on Saturday: 18 canoeists, eight rowers, four women basketball players (one of them a coach), and four support staff.
North Korean paddlers will begin working out with South Koreans at Chungju Tangeum Lake International Rowing Centre in Chungju, about 150 kilometers south of Seoul, on Sunday.
The Koreas have agreed to joint teams in dragon boat racing, women's basketball and rowing.
This is not the first time that the two join forces in sport. In February, they competed together in women's hockey at the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.
They also fielded a joint table tennis team at the world championships in May and at the Korea Open tournament last week in Daejeon.
The joint Olympic team has helped promote détente and dialogue.
Meanwhile, the (South) Korea Canoe Federation (KCF) began training with North Korean athletes in June for the dragon boat race (pictured).
The dragon boat team will involve six South Koreans and six North Koreans in the men's and women's competitions.
The women's basketball team will have nine South Korean and three North Korean players – centre Ro Suk-yong, guard Jang Mi-gyong, and guard Kim Hye-yon – who have already played three intra-Korean friendly games in Pyongyang earlier this month.
The (South) Korean Rowing Association (KRA) announced a list of eight South Korean and seven North Koreans rowers. One coach will be from South Korea and two from North Korea.
The KRA also said it'll seek to put together joint Korean teams for future competitions, including the 2019 Asian Rowing Championships and 2020 Summer Olympics.
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