Bach says IOC committed to aiding Korean peace efforts

The International Olympic Committee remains committed to helping the Korean Peninsula find lasting peace with its chief Thomas Bach praising the role his organisation and the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics had in easing tensions.
Held at the South Korean resort in February, the Winter Games were seen as a turning point in relations between the neighbours, who are still technically at war, after a unified Korean team competed in women’s ice hockey.
As their relationship continues to thaw, the Koreas agreed in September to pursue a bid to co-host the 2032 Summer Games.
Speaking at the General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) in Tokyo yesterday, Bach said the IOC would be involved in further discussions to “strengthen peace efforts”.
“We have committed ourselves to this,” the German said.
“At the very beginning of next year, there will be new talks to get together with the two NOCs of the Korean states and the two governments, to see what we can do there to strengthen these peace efforts that are underway on the political level now.”
Relations between the nations have greatly improved this year, with South Korean President Moon Jae-in meeting his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-un at three different summits.
“I refer to President Moon from the Republic of Korea, who has said that we have opened the door to peace talks with our initiatives on the Korean Peninsula and who has that there the IOC deserves a lot of credit for this,” Bach added.