Seoul, Dec 8 (AFP) Olympics chief Thomas Bach is hopingto visit North Korea as early as this month to discussPyongyang's participation in the 2018 Winter Games, a reportsaid today.
South Korean organisers of the Pyeongchang Olympics arepushing for the North to compete as they hope to portray theevent as a symbol of peace on the flashpoint peninsula.
The North missed the October 30 deadline to confirm itsparticipation, although its pairs figure skaters Ryom Tae-Okand Kim Ju-Sik had qualified.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is in talkswith Pyongyang over president Bach's possible trip, Yonhapnews agency said, citing unnamed Seoul government sources.
"The visit may be made by the end of this year," Yonhapquoted one of the officials as saying.
The trip may be made by another senior IOC officialinstead of Bach, said another official quoted by Yonhap,adding it remained unclear whether the North would approve thevisit.
The Pyeongchang organising committee had no immediatecomment when approached by AFP.
Organisers have been struggling to shore up interest inthe Games, which have been hit by concerns over the North'smilitary threat and the ban of the Russian team over a dopingscandal.
Tension has been high on the divided peninsula as theisolated North staged a series of nuclear and missile teststhat sparked global alarm, and traded threats of war with theUS.
Several nations have questioned whether it is safe tosend their athletes to the Games, which will be held inFebruary at a mountain resort just 80 kilometres (50 miles)south of the heavily fortified border.
The Games also received a blow this week hit when the IOCbarred Russia, which topped the medals table at the 2014 SochiGames, over its "systematic" doping programme.
Moscow vowed not to boycott the event and encouraged itsathletes to compete under a neutral flag.
But there are fears that the removal of the winter sportspowerhouse will take some of the shine off the PyeongchangOlympics, which will also be missing stars from NorthAmerica's National Hockey League (NHL), which opted to snubthe Games. (AFP)ATK.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.