The ISU statement was appropriate. The whole getting NOrth Korea to participate in the games is more of an IOC and Korean Organising Committee initiative, not the ISU. The ISU did everything they could do, and the rules and deadlines need to be adhered to.
North Korea Olympic participation
- Thread starter GF2445
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FYI, there’s already a multi page thread discussing this topic, perhaps this one can be merged with it?
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Here's an article about their Canadian coach, Bruno Marcotte.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42626416
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42626416
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The latest news appears to be that the Koreas will be fielding a joint team.
It seems that the powers are seeking a way to expand the women's hockey team to include 6-8 members from the North - and yet somehow not cut the players from the South who have already been chosen, and who have their own Olympic dreams. I would imagine that there would have to be some waiver to the rules on roster size, but I'm not an expert on women's hockey.
The pairs team are the only DPRK athletes who have qualified on merit. So, if they're members of a joint team, then they might be able to participate in the team event. But, again, what does that do to the ROK team who are Olympians ONLY because of the team event? My guess is that the pair from the South will get their moment in the Team Event, and the DPRK team will participate in the pairs event, where they qualified.
Also, it appears that the North will send teams of "well trained" cheerleaders. I wonder if they will be mini-versions of the Mass Games that are done periodically in DPRK. If you are unfamiliar with these, you really should YouTube some of them. They are incredibly impressive and creepy at the same time. From what I've gathered, the goal is to instill that individuality is bad, but absolute conformity to the group yields something amazing. To be chosen to participate in this festival of absolute unity is quite an honor, from what I've read.
And, for what it's worth, I'm not a fan of all this outside-the-rulebook political maneuvering, but whatever.
Edit: I've rethought.
If Korea is officially a joint team, then I'm reversing my earlier opinion that the ROK pair would get to skate the Team Event. They didn't qualify on merit, and were only named because their team did not have a qualified pair. With the inclusion of the DPRK pair as part of the official team, then that's not the case. So, that should end their Olympic dream. Unless, of course, yet another rule is thrown out the window.
And, even if the women's hockey roster is expanded, will the other teams object? Is that a level playing field if one team has 6-8 more players? Does EVERYBODY get to expand their roster? Won't the ROK team be at a disadvantage, having to include new players this late in the game? They certainly shouldn't expect as much ice-time as they would have.
All this peace-and-love political involvement in sports inevitably results in someone getting hurt.
It seems that the powers are seeking a way to expand the women's hockey team to include 6-8 members from the North - and yet somehow not cut the players from the South who have already been chosen, and who have their own Olympic dreams. I would imagine that there would have to be some waiver to the rules on roster size, but I'm not an expert on women's hockey.
The pairs team are the only DPRK athletes who have qualified on merit. So, if they're members of a joint team, then they might be able to participate in the team event. But, again, what does that do to the ROK team who are Olympians ONLY because of the team event? My guess is that the pair from the South will get their moment in the Team Event, and the DPRK team will participate in the pairs event, where they qualified.
Also, it appears that the North will send teams of "well trained" cheerleaders. I wonder if they will be mini-versions of the Mass Games that are done periodically in DPRK. If you are unfamiliar with these, you really should YouTube some of them. They are incredibly impressive and creepy at the same time. From what I've gathered, the goal is to instill that individuality is bad, but absolute conformity to the group yields something amazing. To be chosen to participate in this festival of absolute unity is quite an honor, from what I've read.
And, for what it's worth, I'm not a fan of all this outside-the-rulebook political maneuvering, but whatever.
Edit: I've rethought.
If Korea is officially a joint team, then I'm reversing my earlier opinion that the ROK pair would get to skate the Team Event. They didn't qualify on merit, and were only named because their team did not have a qualified pair. With the inclusion of the DPRK pair as part of the official team, then that's not the case. So, that should end their Olympic dream. Unless, of course, yet another rule is thrown out the window.
And, even if the women's hockey roster is expanded, will the other teams object? Is that a level playing field if one team has 6-8 more players? Does EVERYBODY get to expand their roster? Won't the ROK team be at a disadvantage, having to include new players this late in the game? They certainly shouldn't expect as much ice-time as they would have.
All this peace-and-love political involvement in sports inevitably results in someone getting hurt.
The South Korean pair is (was supposed to be) entered also in the "regular" pair event as "host spot". The host spot would have been awarded even if South Korea had not qualified for the Team Event (if the 10 additional quota places were not all used to fill uncompleted teams in the Team Event).
Everything will be clear(er) on Saturday when the IOC meeting in Lausanne is scheduled to finalize details
Everything will be clear(er) on Saturday when the IOC meeting in Lausanne is scheduled to finalize details
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Ah, I had not considered that. So, before the results are announced, who gets to skate the Team Event? My bet is the DPRK pair.
Edit:
Wait, I'm back again... if the DPRK pair is part of the official joint delegation, then Korea does not need a host spot, since they have a qualified pair for the "regular" pair event.
Which would mean that the ROK pair is out. Unless they declare that official team delegation is not the same as "host."
There's going to have to be some fancy bureaucratic footwork here.
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I feel sorry for the South Korean players who are going to miss out on competing in their home Olympics because of the North Korean players coming in.
Having a joint team sounds good in terms of relations. But it means that a lot of people from both sides of the border that are good enough to compete internationally miss out on the opportunity because there are a lot more people competing for a lot fewer places.
That is why I do not agree with the way we have All-Ireland teams in Rugby and Hockey. And why I stongly oppose the idea of introducing All-Ireland teams in other sports.
And it is also why I strongly oppose the suggestion that a British football team becomes a permanent thing, rather than a one-off for the 2012 London Summer Olympics.
For the record, the Irish rugby team tends to be dominated by Southern players, while the Irish hockey team tends to be dominated by Northern players.
For the British football teams at the 2012 Summer Olympics, the Men's squad was 13 England players with 5 Welsh players, while the Women's squad was 17 England players with 2 Scottish players.
For the British football teams at the 2012 Summer Olympics, the Men's squad was 13 England players with 5 Welsh players, while the Women's squad was 17 England players with 2 Scottish players.
If North Korea wanted to have a presence in the Women's Ice Hockey at the Olympics, they should have entered the qualifying tournament.
CaroLiza_fan
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... and I feel even more sorry for the North Korean players who will get too much exposure with the Southern players, including even some personal bonds, that will result with inevitable punishment in labor camps back "home".
The decision appears to be that Ryom/Kim will get an extra spot in Pairs
Figure Skating: The IOC allocated an additional quota place, after the registration deadline had expired, to the qualified figure skating pair (RYOM Tae-ok and KIM Ju-sik) from the NOC of the DPRK.
https://www.olympic.org/news/unifie...arch-at-olympic-winter-games-pyeongchang-2018
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100% agree in regards to this. The SK hockey team has been training for months, working on line combinations and chemistry. This was a decision taken without the consultation of the ice hockey federation of Korea, and I really feel for the players who had thought they were going to the Olympics for months, only to have it snatched away by a political decision without their input. Their performance is likely going to suffer, as they have less than a month to integrate these new players on the team. It's unfair for both sides - I can totally imagine some of the South Korean players being a bit resentful while the North Korean players did not ask for this to happen. The locker room dynamic is going to be fascinating, and possibly problematic, given hockey is very much so a team sport, and having half your teammates disappear cannot be helpful in fostering an inclusive/welcoming environment
Another issue is global rankings. Do the points from the Olympics (which are worth more) count towards the South Korean team? The SK team has been on the up for several years and while they wouldn't have qualified if they weren't hosts, they have improved tremendously over the past several years. I'm very glad that the NK pairs team will be able to participate, but this forced consolidation of the hockey team really sits terribly with me.
