North Korea has officially commenced its National Winter Games, as confirmed by state media, with the country's athletes notably absent from the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. The isolated nation's domestic sporting event highlights a shift towards internal competition following its failure to secure qualification spots for the international games.
Domestic Sporting Spectacle in Samjiyon
The 2026 National Winter Games began on Wednesday at the Paektusan area sports village in Samjiyon, a mountainous city located near the Chinese border, according to reports from the official KCNA news agency. Sports clubs representing various state bodies and major industrial sites are set to compete in more than 50 events across five winter disciplines, including ice hockey, figure skating, and skiing.
Olympic Absence and Historical Context
This domestic event unfolds against the backdrop of North Korea's athletes failing to qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, as reported by South Korean media and international skating results. North Korea last participated in a Winter Olympics during the 2018 Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, where it sent 22 athletes across five sports and used the occasion to foster a rare diplomatic thaw with the South, including fielding a joint women's ice hockey team.
Pyongyang significantly limited its sports participation overseas throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and faced suspension from the International Olympic Committee until the end of 2022 after deciding not to send a team to the Tokyo Summer Olympics. The country's best Winter Olympic achievements have historically been on the ice, with its first and only silver medal won in women's speed skating at Innsbruck in 1964, followed by a bronze medal in short-track speed skating at the 1992 Albertville Games.
Recent Challenges and Regional Development
More recently, North Korea's top international prospects have centred on pairs figure skating, but its leading duo fell short at a final Olympic qualifier event in Beijing last September. The choice of Samjiyon as the venue for the National Winter Games aligns with a broader initiative by leader Kim Jong Un to develop showcase projects in the area near Mount Paektu, a region of political significance that Pyongyang has promoted as a tourism zone. KCNA reported that Kim attended the opening of new luxury hotels in the area late last year, underscoring this development drive.
Future International Participation
In a related development, Japan is reportedly considering North Korea's participation in the 2026 Asian Games after the reclusive regime expressed interest in taking part, despite existing sanctions that ban the entry of North Korean citizens into the country. Japan is scheduled to host the Asian Games from 19 September to 4 October next year in Aichi Prefecture and its capital Nagoya, with 45 member countries of the Olympic Council of Asia expected to participate.
According to sources familiar with the matter, North Korean officials have informed the organising committee of the Asian Games that they plan to send a delegation of more than 260 members to Japan to compete in 17 events, including football. This potential involvement marks a tentative step towards renewed international sports engagement for North Korea, contrasting with its current focus on domestic competitions like the National Winter Games.
