North Korea, unable to participate in this year’s Milano-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, has organized its own Winter Sports Festival.
The Workers’ Party’s official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reported on Thursday that the 2026 National Winter Sports Championships kicked off on Wednesday at the hockey arena in the Paektu Mountain Sports Village in Samjiyon City, Yanggang Province.
The Paektu Mountain Sports Village, a winter sports complex situated at an altitude of 1,600 meters, boasts ice rinks, ski slopes, and athlete accommodations. This event will feature over 50 competitions across five disciplines, including ice hockey, figure skating, and skiing.
The newspaper highlighted that this championship would serve as a crucial platform for athletes and coaches to demonstrate their sportsmanship, teamwork, and unity, while also advancing their skills in winter sports.
North Korea’s last Winter Olympics appearance was at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games in South Korea. They sent their largest-ever delegation of 22 athletes competing in five sports, along with a sizable cheering squad. This participation drew global attention, leading to inter-Korean dialogue and talks between North Korea and the U.S.
A memorable highlight was the joint march of North and South Korea under the Korea banner during the opening ceremony. The two nations also fielded a unified women’s ice hockey team, symbolizing a brief moment of harmony on the Korean Peninsula.
Following that, North Korea withdrew from the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2021, citing COVID-19 concerns. They were subsequently barred from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics due to a suspension imposed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
After serving their suspension, North Korea made their return to international sports at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. They also participated in the Winter Asian Games held in Harbin, China, early last year.
However, North Korea’s hopes for the Milano Winter Olympics were dashed when even their star figure skating pair, Rim Daewok and Han Geum-cheol, failed to qualify, resulting in no delegation being sent to the Games.