Seoul is chosen for joint Korean bid to host 2032 Olympics
SEOUL: South Korea has picked its capital Seoul for its bid for the 2032 summer Olympics, which it aims to jointly host with North Korea.
The Koreas will officially inform the International Olympic Committee of their decision to bid at an event in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Friday.
North Korea is expected to announce its candidate city later this week — the likely choice is its capital Pyongyang — before or during the IOC meeting, Seoul officials said.
The decision to pursue a joint bid — as well as to jointly participate in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games — was made following a series of inter-Korean talks last year, as cross-border reconciliation gathered pace.
In a meeting held by the country’s Olympic committee on Monday, Seoul edged out its rival, the southern port city of Busan.
Seoul mayor Park Won-soon said he would ensure the bid serves as an opportunity to “change the fate of the Korean peninsula”.
“If the 1988 Seoul Olympics was ‘reconciliation Olympics’ amid the cold war between East and West and the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics was a touchstone of peace, the 2032 Olympics will be promoted to become the last stop to establish the peace”.
The last time Seoul hosted the summer Olympics, in 1988, Pyongyang boycotted the Games.
But in recent months the Koreas have turned to sports diplomacy to ease tensions.
During the Pyeongchang Winter
IN A MEETING HELD BY THE COUNTRY’S OLYMPIC COMMITTEE ON MONDAY, SEOUL EDGED OUT ITS RIVAL, THE SOUTHERN PORT CITY OF BUSAN
Olympics last year, North Korea sent leader Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, to express the reclusive regime’s interest in an inter-Korean summit.
TWO INJURED IN FIRE AT RIO SOCCER CLUB
RIODEJANEIRO: A fire broke out at the training centre used by Rio de Janeiro football club Bangu on Monday, sending at least two players to hospital with smoke inhalation but causing no serious injuries.
The incident occurred three days after 10 Flamengo youth players died and three others were injured when their lodgings caught fire.
Bangu, one of the oldest and most traditional clubs in Rio, were training at a military athletics centre when the blaze started after lunch.
ISL: MUMBAI, NORTH EAST FACE-OFF
MUMBAI : After two back-to-back defeats,Mumbai City FC would be keen to get back to winning ways when they clash with an equally strong North East United FC in an Indian Super League encounter here on Wednesday.
Mumbai’s unbeaten run of nine games ended when they suffered a 2-0 loss against FC Goa here at the Mumbai Football Arena in their previous home game.