Koreas’ historic combined women’s hockey team debuts
Wearing a powder-blue logo of a map symbolizing peace between the Koreas, the most talked-about team at this year’s Winter Olympics got in some game action Sunday in a friendly that drew thousands of spectators in a country that hasn’t showed much passion for ice hockey.
The North and South Korean women’s hockey players, who began practicing together only about a week ago as a combined team, showed plenty of fight in their first competitive test, crashing the boards and throwing their bodies to stop pucks and opponents, but did not really threaten in a 3-1 loss to world No. 5 Sweden in Incheon, South Korea.
The outcome didn’t seem to matter to the capacity crowd of 3,000 at the Seonhak International Ice Rink. Fans waved miniature white-and-blue flags showing a unified Korean Peninsula — the same mark on the players’ uniforms — and chanted “We are one” while screaming whenever the Koreans got on the break. The arena fans roared when South Korean forward Park Jong-ah cut the deficit to 2-1 during the first period.
The Korean players stood to the Korean traditional tune of “Arirang” at the start of the game, instead of their respective national anthems, and received warm applause as they left the arena after the game.
“I think that the North Korean players played really well — this is one of the biggest crowds they played in front of,” said Sarah Murray, the joint team’s Canadian head coach. “Being added 12 days ago and not getting to practice together all that much, they played our system pretty well, so I am proud of them.”
North Korea will send its nominal head of state and other senior officials to South Korea this week, Seoul officials said, as the rivals push through with rare rapprochement steps.
Kim Yong Nam, the head of the North’s parliament, will be the highest-level North Korean official to visit South Korea since the North sent then-No. 2 Hwang Pyong So at the close of the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon.