Olympics
DONALD TRUMP GIVES NEW HOPE TO JOINT PYONGYANG-SEOUL BID FOR 2032 OLYMPICS
BY DUNCAN MACKAY
Hopes of a joint North and South Korea
bid for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games have been given a boost after
Donald Trump today became the first sitting United States President to set foot
in North Korea.
North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un agreed to meet Trump at the Korean Demilitarized Zone with just two days’ notice, after he issued an invitation for the summit over Twitter.
As they greeted each other over the border, both leaders said: “It is good to see you again.”
Kim added: “I never thought I would meet you in this place.”
Officials from North and South Korea had presented their idea of hosting a joint Games in Pyongyang and Seoul in 2032 to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in February.
But the thaw in relations between North Korea and the US had appeared to have slowed down recently over the issue of denuclearization.
Today’s historic handshake between Trump and Kim, however, could breath new life into negotiations.
Lee
Kee-heung, President of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, who was
officially voted in as a new member of the IOC in Lausanne on Wednesday (June
26), has vowed to make it his mission to make the joint bid between the two
countries technically still at war a success.
Lee revealed upon his return to Seoul that he had met Kim Il-guk, President of the Olympic Committee of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the country’s Sports Minister, on several occasions in Lausanne.
During its the IOC Session, there was a major change to how future host cities are chosen.
A rule that they should be chosen seven years in advance was removed and multiple cities are set to be encouraged.
Lee claimed the changes “will provide a good opportunity for us” and urged the two Koreas to work together to achieve their target.
He wants to ride the momentum of the peace wave to try to encourage the IOC to award the Olympic and Paralympics to Korea more than 10 years ahead of when they are due to be staged.
“I told the North Korean side that we should try to win our bid in 2021,” Lee told South Korean agency Yonhap News.
“Sports Minister Kim Il-guk asked that we deliver a formal request through our Unification Ministry.”
Lee and Kim also discussed fielding joint teams at next year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo, building upon Pyeongchang 2018 when the two Koreas played together in the women’s ice hockey tournament.
The two sides had agreed to bring their teams together during the Olympic qualifying stages in women’s hockey, women’s basketball, judo and rowing.
But the South Korean women’s hockey team participated in a qualifying tournament in Ireland alone earlier this month, since North Korea did not respond to repeated calls to organise joint training sessions.
“Our discussions went well and I think we will have some positive outcomes,” Lee said following his discussions with Kim.
Lee and Kim have also talked about the possibility of organising a joint meeting between Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the Korean Demilitarized Zone to help promote the joint bid during the Association of National Olympic Committees General Assembly due to take place in Seoul in November 2020.
Trump and Kim were supposed to meet just for a handshake today but spent 50 minutes in a private meeting.
As they exited Freedom House both leaders confirmed that talks between their two nations were back on track, with Trump describing their closed door meeting as “a very good one, very strong, very solid”.
It is the third time the two leaders have met and the first since a failed summit on the North’s nuclear programme in Vietnam earlier this year.
Shortly after their abandoned talks, it was reported that Kim had executed his top negotiatior Kim Hyok-chol and imprisoned a number of others.
When asked about those reports, Trump replied: “I can tell you the main person is still alive and I would hope the rest still are, too.”
-insidethegames
By Kunle Solaja.
Nigeria’s senior women’s national team, the Super Falcons, will begin their campaign for a place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games from the second round of the African qualifiers after being granted a bye in the opening stage.
The draw, conducted on Wednesday in Cairo by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), placed Nigeria among 29 higher-ranked teams exempted from the first round of the series.
The Super Falcons will take on the winner of the first-round clash between South Sudan and Comoros in their opening fixture of the qualifiers.
A total of 35 nations are competing for just two available slots allocated to Africa for the women’s football tournament at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, underlining the intensity and high stakes of the qualification process.
The qualifiers will be contested over five knockout rounds on a home-and-away basis, leaving little room for error as teams battle for continental representation on the global stage.
The first round involves the six lowest-ranked teams—Sudan, Mauritius, Djibouti, South Sudan, Madagascar and Comoros—based on the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings. Winners from this stage will advance to face each other again before the 29 seeded teams, including Nigeria, enter the fray.
Nigeria will be aiming to consolidate their status among Africa’s elite women’s football nations, having qualified for the most recent Olympic tournament alongside Zambia at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Although the Super Falcons boast a notable Olympic pedigree, having made their debut at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and subsequently appearing at Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and Paris 2024, qualification has not always been easy.
The 16-year gap between their last two participations in Beijing 2008 and Paris 2024 illustrates the tough time they have endured in the qualifying series.
With the women’s football event at Los Angeles 2028 set to feature 16 teams—including hosts the United States—Nigeria’s path to qualification is expected to be demanding.
Attention will now shift to the preliminary encounter between South Sudan and Comoros, as Nigeria’s technical crew intensify preparations ahead of their second-round entry point.
For the Super Falcons, the mission is clear: successfully navigate a rigorous qualifying campaign and secure a return to the Olympic stage in 2028.
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Nigeria’s senior women’s national team, the Super Falcons, will on Wednesday discover their route to the football event of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles when the Confederation of African Football conducts the official draw in Cairo.
The draw ceremony, scheduled for April 29 at CAF headquarters in Egypt, will set in motion Africa’s qualifying campaign for the women’s football tournament of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
A total of 35 countries, including Nigeria, will participate in the race for just two tickets allocated to Africa for the Olympic football event, which will take place from July 11 to 29, 2028.
Alongside Nigeria, other contenders include continental heavyweights such as South Africa, Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco and Zambia, as well as a wide range of emerging nations from across the continent.
The full list of participating teams also features Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
According to CAF, the qualification series will be played over five rounds, gradually narrowing the field to the two teams that will fly Africa’s flag at the Olympics in the United States.
For Nigeria, Africa’s most successful women’s national team, the qualifiers present another opportunity to reaffirm their continental dominance and secure a return to the Olympic stage after recent mixed fortunes in global competitions.
The Super Falcons, nine-time African champions, are expected to be among the top seeds when the draw is conducted, a factor that could influence their early-round opponents.
Wednesday’s ceremony in Cairo will therefore provide clarity on the fixtures, timelines and potential hurdles facing Nigeria and other contenders as the road to Los Angeles officially begins.
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By Kunle Solaja.
Morocco’s senior women’s national team will on Wednesday learn their opponents and qualification pathway to the football event of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games when the Confederation of African Football stages the official draw in Cairo.
The draw, billed for April 29 at CAF headquarters in Egypt, marks the starting point of Africa’s qualifying campaign, with 35 nations set to battle for just two coveted Olympic slots.
For Morocco, the exercise represents another significant step in the country’s rapidly rising profile in women’s football. The Atlas Lionesses, who have emerged as one of Africa’s most improved sides in recent years, will be aiming to secure a historic qualification for the Olympic Games.
The North Africans will face stiff competition from traditional powerhouses such as Nigeria, South Africa, Cameroon and Ghana, alongside other ambitious sides including Zambia and Senegal.
Also in the race are Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
CAF confirmed that the qualifiers will unfold across five rounds, with the field gradually trimmed down until only two teams remain to represent Africa at the Olympics in the United States from July 11 to 29, 2028.
Morocco are expected to be among the seeded teams for the early rounds, a reflection of their recent performances on the continental stage, including their strong showing at recent Women’s Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
Wednesday’s draw in Cairo will therefore be crucial in determining Morocco’s early matchups and the potential obstacles on their path, as they seek to translate recent progress into a maiden appearance at the Olympic Games.
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