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Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Acting President Randhir Singh has defended the use of North Korea’s flag at the Asian Games here – but the decision is landing his organisation in hot water with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Anti-Doping Committee (DPRK ADC) was declared non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code in October 2021.
As a consequence, under WADA sanctions, North Korea’s national flag cannot be flown at major sporting events other than the Olympic and Paralympic Games for as long as the DPRK ADC is non-compliant.
But that has not stopped the North Korean flag from flying during Hangzhou 2022.
North Korea participated in yesterday’s Opening Ceremony with the nation’s flag on show along with the other 44 from the respective Asian countries at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium.
Judoka Chae Kwang-jin secured North Korea’s first medal of the Games with bronze in the men’s under-60 kilogram division as the flag was raised during the victory ceremony.
Singh said the OCA and North Korea were both in talks with WADA over the usage of the flag.
“We are in discussions with them (WADA) and North Korea has written to them as well explaining their position,” said Singh.
“We are explaining from our side as well.
“At present, the North Korean flag is flying and we will look into it and see what the future says.”
insidethegames has learnt that WADA wrote to the OCA immediately after the Opening Ceremony to remind them of its obligations as a signatory.
A spokesperson from WADA has told insidethegames that it might be forced to take action should the sanctions not be implemented at the Asian Games.
“DPRK continues to be non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code and all International Federations and major event organisations, such as the Olympic Council of Asia, are informed of the consequences of DPRK’s non-compliance,” the spokesperson from WADA said.
“WADA is in regular communication with the National Anti-Doping Organisation as they work to address the issues related to this non-compliance.
“Where WADA becomes aware that a consequence (of non-compliance) has not been respected, it liaises with all relevant signatories to correct the situation and, if necessary, will initiate compliance proceedings against any signatory that fails to implement the consequence.”
Almost 200 athletes are set to represent North Korea in 18 sports at Hangzhou 2022, ending the country’s long isolation from major international sport.
The Asian Games marks North Korea’s first outing in a major multi-sport event since Jakarta Palembang 2018.
North Korea closed its already tight borders in early 2020 following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and skipped the Olympics in Tokyo, re-arranged to take place in 2021 because of the pandemic.
It was then banned by the International Olympic Committee from the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing for failing to take part at Tokyo 2020 before the suspension was lifted at the end of last year.
Singh insisted that “everyone should participate and have the opportunity to participate and if there are certain issues which happened through the pandemic, we should consider that and take it into account”.
The DPRK ADC was declared non-compliant by WADA in February 2019 before regaining the status later that year after enlisting the help of China to correct its issues.
However, the DPRK ADC was removed from WADA’s list of non-compliant signatories just two years later after finding “non-conformities” in its testing programme.
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Geoff Berkeley is the chief senior reporter at insidethegames.biz. After joining Midlands-based newspaper publisher Bullivant Media in 2011, Geoff rose through the ranks to become editor of the Malvern Observer and sports editor of several other weekly titles. He then went on to be appointed as the Worcester Warriors correspondent for the Worcester News where he was nominated for Sports Journalist of the Year at the Midlands Media Awards in 2016 and 2017. He also had a spell at Sportsbeat in 2020.
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For nearly 15 years now, insidethegames.biz has been at the forefront of reporting fearlessly on what happens in the Olympic Movement. As the first website not to be placed behind a paywall, we have made news about the International Olympic Committee, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Commonwealth Games and other major events more accessible than ever to everybody.
insidethegames.biz has established a global reputation for the excellence of its reporting and breadth of its coverage. For many of our readers from more than 200 countries and territories around the world the website is a vital part of their daily lives. The ping of our free daily email alert, sent every morning at 6.30am UK time 365 days a year, landing in their inbox, is as a familiar part of their day as their first cup of coffee.
Even during the worst times of the COVID-19 pandemic, insidethegames.biz maintained its high standard of reporting on all the news from around the globe on a daily basis. We were the first publication in the world to signal the threat that the Olympic Movement faced from the coronavirus and have provided unparalleled coverage of the pandemic since.
As the world begins to emerge from the COVID crisis, insidethegames.biz would like to invite you to help us on our journey by funding our independent journalism. Your vital support would mean we can continue to report so comprehensively on the Olympic Movement and the events that shape it. It would mean we can keep our website open for everyone. Last year, nearly 25 million people read insidethegames.biz, making us by far the biggest source of independent news on what is happening in world sport.
Every contribution, however big or small, will help maintain and improve our worldwide coverage in the year ahead. Our small and dedicated team were extremely busy last year covering the re-arranged Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, an unprecedented logistical challenge that stretched our tight resources to the limit.
The remainder of 2022 is not going to be any less busy, or less challenging. We had the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing, where we sent a team of four reporters, and coming up are the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the Summer World University and Asian Games in China, the World Games in Alabama and multiple World Championships. Plus, of course, there is the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Unlike many others, insidethegames.biz is available for everyone to read, regardless of what they can afford to pay. We do this because we believe that sport belongs to everybody, and everybody should be able to read information regardless of their financial situation. While others try to benefit financially from information, we are committed to sharing it with as many people as possible. The greater the number of people that can keep up to date with global events, and understand their impact, the more sport will be forced to be transparent.
Support insidethegames.biz for as little as £10 – it only takes a minute. If you can, please consider supporting us with a regular amount each month. Thank you.
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