ROK-DPRK DELEGATES TO EAST ASIAN JUDO CHAMPIONSHIPS ATTEND A PRESS CONFERENCE
Pursuant to a decision of the East Asian Judo Federation and resolutions issued by the Government of Mongolia and Ministers of Health and Finance, Mongolia will host the 2018 East Asian Judo Championships in Ulaanbaatar on June 8th-10th.
The Championships will unite judokas from the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea under the same flag in the team competition. Regarding this historic event, Chief of Staff of the President’s Office and Head of the Organizing Committee of the Championships Z.Enkhbold held a press conference today in the State Palace. Present at the press conference were Cho Yong Chul, Vice President of the ROK Judo Association, Wong Kyong Il, coach of the DPRK team and the judokas.
Head of the Organizing Committee Mr. Z.Enkhbold said, “More than 200 delegates and athletes from eight countries and administrative regions – Mongolia, Japan, the ROK, the DPRK, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Chinese Taipei, Macau and Hong Kong will participate in the East Asian Judo Championships, for which the Organizing Committee has prepared for the last one month.
During the first meeting of the Organizing Committee, the International Judo Federation and the Judo Union of Asia proposed that judokas of the ROK and the DPRK participate as a unified team in the 2018 East Asian Judo Championships. The sides backed the proposal. As such, the two countries are going to compete as a unified team for the first time in a summer sports event after participating in the 2018 Winter Olympics side by side.”
While quoting IJF President Marius Vizer, who appreciated the role of judo in uniting societies through its values, Mr. Z.Enkhbold said, “We are grateful that the two countries agreed to send a unified team to Mongolia, supporting Mongolia’s peaceful foreign policy approach. This is an indication that sport can outperform politics.”
For his part, Mr. Cho Yong Chul, Vice President of the ROK Judo Association said, “We are thankful for the opportunity provided by Mongolia. Although we came unprepared, judokas of the ROK and the DPRK, eternal partners, have been given a chance to fight side by side with the support of President of Mongolia Battulga and the IJF. We are confident that our collaboration will be successful. Let me also thank the Mongolian side.”
The DPRK coach Mr. Wong Kyong Il said, “We are pleased to be representing our country at this Championships in Mongolia. We will do our best. I would like to congratulate and wish success to the ROK athletes in the joint team and the Mongolian judokas.”
Following the press conference, President of Mongolia Khaltmaagiin Battulga joined the athletes and posed for a family photo, wishing success for the competition.
