N. Korean athletes arrive in Rio for Olympics

RIO DE JANEIRO, July 28 (Yonhap) -- North Korean athletes competing at the upcoming Rio de Janeiro Olympics arrived in the Brazilian city Thursday.

The main contingent of the delegation left Pyongyang on Tuesday and stopped over in Paris before landing in the host city of the Aug. 5-21 Summer Olympics.

About 50 members of the delegation arrived at Galeao International Airport at round 8:30 a.m. and were greeted by Yun Yong-bok, the country's senior sports official.

Yun was the chief North Korean representative in talks over a joint Korean march at the opening ceremony of the 2004 Athens Summer Games, and served on the North's Olympic committee during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He also traveled with North Korea to the 2014 Asian Games in the South Korean city of Incheon.

The North Korean delegation will be headed by Yun Song-bom, who served in the same capacity at the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games and the 2000 Sydney Summer Games.

North Korea will compete in nine of 28 sports, and according to "Info 2016," the official source of information for the Rio Games, the North will have 31 athletes and four officials.

The list includes weightlifter Om Yun-chol, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist in the men's 56kg, and artistic gymnast Ri Se-gwang, the two-time world champion in men's vault.

At the 2012 Olympics in London, North Korea grabbed four gold medals -- three from weightlifting -- and two bronze medals to finish 20th in the standings.

jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)