(12 Feb 2018) International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach says the IOC has done its part getting North Korea and South Korea together at the Pyeongchang Olympics.
The ball’s now in the court of the divided nation.
“Now it’s for politics to take over,” Bach said during a visit to The Associated Press office at the Olympics.
“Sport cannot create peace and we cannot lead their political negotiations. We have sent this message, that dialogue, that negotiations can lead to a positive result. And now it’s up to the political side to use this momentum.”
Bach said he’s hopeful the detente will continue after the “Olympic flame has been extinguished” at the closing ceremony on February 25 in the frigid mountains of South Korea.
Bach has been emotional about the Koreas and their presence together. He was born in West Germany and won a gold medal in fencing for a divided Germany.
Bach described the Olympics as “off to a great start” and dismissed the fact that high winds forced the first two Alpine skiing races to be rescheduled for later in the week when the cold and wind is expected to be moderate.
“These cancellations do not worry us at all,” he said. “The international federations, with whom we have talked, they have told us there is no reason to worry. We have two weeks to go. We are an outdoor sport and we manage these kind of cancellations.”
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