7msports > Others Video > North Korean Olympians out of favour

North Korean Olympians out of favour

Sunday, August 28 2016 by SNTV
  • North Korea's Olympic team was welcomed home from Rio 2016 at Pyongyang Airport with a low-key celebration on Saturday (27th August).

    North Korea's Olympic team were given a low-key welcome on Saturday, symptomatic - it has been said - of Kim Jong-un's anger at his side missing their gold medal target of 5. Though the secretive state's athletes achieved one more medal than at London 2012, they only scored 2 golds.

    And their arrival in Pyongyang airport on a regular flight from Beijing was met only by a small crowd of family, friends and fellow athletes.

    They won a total of 7 medals:

    A gold and three silvers in weightlifting; two bronzes in table tennis and shooting, and a second gold in gymnastics by Ri Se Gwang. Here he is, explaining what it meant to him:

    SOUNDBITE: (Korean) Ri Se Gwang, North Korean Olympic gold medal winner in the gymnastics vault:

    "I did my best in this competition to bring back victory and confidence for our army and people."

    The lack of crowd-lined streets hinted at their leader's disappointment. Disappointment which will be compounded by the fact that rivals South Korea returned with 21 medals - including 9 golds.

    As for the the less garlanded Olympians, they might think of being wary, remembering the fate of North Korea's national football team, who were reportedly sent to coal mines after their 7-0 thrashing by Portugal at the 2010 World Cup.

Attention: Third parties may advertise their products and/or services on our website.7M does not warrant the accuracy, adequacy or completeness of their contents.
Your dealings with such third parties are solely between you and such third parties and we shall not be liable in any way for any loss or damage of any sort incurred by you.