The International Olympic Committee will exclude North Korea from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics as punishment for its no-show at the Tokyo Games, IOC President Thomas Bach said Wednesday.
For its decision to skip the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics over COVID-19 safety concerns, the North Korean National Olympic Committee will also permanently forfeit payments that had been withheld by the IOC due to international sanctions against the country, Bach said.
"With its non-participation, they were violating the Olympic charter and did not fulfill their obligation," Bach said in an online news conference following a meeting of the IOC executive board. "(The North Korean NOC) is suspended until the end of the year 2022 as a result of its unilateral decision."