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Saudi Sports Minister Meets with International Olympic Committee President

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Saudi Sports Minister Meets with International Olympic Committee President

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat

Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Sports and President of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SOPC), met in Riyadh on Saturday with the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Dr. Thomas Bach.

The visit marks Bach’s third since being elected as the IOC’s president in 2013.

It underscores the robust relationship between the two sides, in line with Saudi Vision 2030.

This vision has positioned the Kingdom as a permanent hub for global sports through the hosting of several significant sporting events. Among these are the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games 2025, the Asian Winter Games TROJENA 2029, and the Asian Games Riyadh 2034, in addition to numerous championships and sporting events.

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South Korea Expresses Regret after Its Athletes Introduced as North Korea at Opening Ceremony

Athletes of South Korea travel by boat along the Seine river during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP)
Athletes of South Korea travel by boat along the Seine river during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP)
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South Korea Expresses Regret after Its Athletes Introduced as North Korea at Opening Ceremony

Athletes of South Korea travel by boat along the Seine river during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP)
Athletes of South Korea travel by boat along the Seine river during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP)

South Korea expressed regret that its delegation of athletes at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony on Friday was introduced as from rival North Korea and has demanded assurances from organizers the mistake will not happen again.

As the boat carrying South Korean athletes passed on the Seine, the announcer introduced them as the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" - the official name of North Korea - in French and English.

The announcer used the same introduction when the North Korean delegation passed.

South Korea's vice minister for sports and culture, Jang Mi-ran, who was in Paris, had requested a meeting with International Olympics Committee President Thomas Bach, the ministry said in a statement.

"We express regret that the country was introduced as North Korea at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games when the athletes of the Republic of Korea were entering," it said.

South Korea's National Olympic Committee immediately referred the incident to the Games' organizers and requested that the error will not be repeated.

South Korea's delegation includes 143 athletes competing in 21 events. North Korea, which is returning to the Games for the first time since Rio 2016, has sent 16 athletes.