The great return of sports diplomacy? Not so fast. The photo above provides proof of this: Thomas Bach, the IOC president, spoke very formally with Moon Jae-In, the new South Korean head of state. A meeting organized on Monday July 3 in a place which removes any ambiguity as to the very official nature of the meeting: the “Blue House”, the presidential palace in Seoul. The two men discussed North Korea. Not exactly the lightest subject at the moment. But they were smiling when posing for posterity in front of the photographers. Their handshake was frank. Cool.
According to an IOC press release, published at the end of the interview, Thomas Bach and Moon Jae-In spoke about the PyeongChang 2018 Games. Normal. They also raised the question of North Korea's participation in the next Winter Games. Just as normal. The subject is current. The South Korean president insisted on this in his recent speech at the inauguration of the World Taekwondo Championships, organized at the end of last month in Muju, explaining that he hoped that the next Games could serve to revive, or even soften relations between Seoul and Pyongyang. He even suggested that the two Koreas play the bold card by presenting a single team in women's ice hockey in the Olympic tournament.
On Monday July 3, Moon Jae-In very formally requested the IOC's help to bring the very 60s concept of "sports diplomacy" up to date. “If North Korea participates, it will be a contribution not only to the Olympic spirit, but also to peace in the region and in the world,” the South Korean president was quoted as saying by his spokesperson.
Thomas Bach could have seized the opportunity. He was cautious, even quite lukewarm. The IOC press release states very tersely that the Olympic organization “provides support to several North Korean athletes in order to help them qualify. » As for the German leader's official remarks, they wisely avoid the subject: "The IOC warmly welcomes President Moon's vision for the Olympic Games' contribution to dialogue and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula and beyond. We can look forward to a great Winter Olympics from Korea to the rest of the world.”
South Korea pushes, the IOC delays. Curious. In truth, Thomas Bach is careful not to advance in the open on a minefield, where the horizon still remains very uncertain, if not downright blocked. With the exception of Moon Jae-In's very voluntary remarks, nothing suggests North Korea's participation in the next Winter Games.
History, first. The last joint team of the two Koreas dates back to the World Table Tennis Championships in 1991. Since then, the Olympic movement has repeatedly replayed the very symbolic, but quite anecdotal, image of a South Korean gymnast posing for a selfie with a rival from North Korea at the Rio 2016 Games (photo below). North Korea participated in the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea. A delegation of its athletes took part in the Taekwondo World Championships in South Korea last month, but only as part of a demonstration organized during the opening ceremony.
Then the facts. Let's be clear: North Korea does not weigh heavily in the world of winter sports. Two athletes at the Vancouver 2010 Games, none at Sochi 2014. To date, only two figure skaters seem capable of qualifying for the PyeongChang 2018 Games, in the pairs event. The very political project of bringing the two Koreas together on the Olympic stage could therefore be nipped in the bud, due to a lack of fighters. Unless the IOC changes its habits and, with the approval of the international federations, distributes a handful of invitations to North Korea. A simple, but unique, way to respond favorably to the help requested on Monday July 3 by Moon Jae-In.
Finally, the context. Since coming to power in 2011, Kim Jong Un has been playing with nuclear weapons as if it were a common game of goose. Latest incident: the launch this Tuesday morning of a new ballistic missile towards Japan. He apparently fell in the Sea of Japan.
