Olympics opened door for peaceful dialogue on Korean Peninsula, says Bach

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The President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach on Monday hailed the upcoming Winter Olympics in PyeongChang for having "opened the door for a peaceful dialogue" between the Diplomatic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Bach made the remarks during the opening ceremony of the 132nd IOC session ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics, in Gangneung, a coastal city some 230 kilometers east of Seoul.

Bach and ROK President Moon Jae-in were both in attendance. The two stressed how the Games have helped provide a brighter future for everyone on the Korean Peninsula.

"The political tensions will not disappear overnight. Sports cannot create peace but the Olympic Games can open the way with powerful symbols. It is our fervent wish for the Korean people and indeed for the whole world that this dialogue, which has only just begun, will continue," Bach said.

South Korea president Moon Jae-in and Thomas Bach holding mascots of 2018 Winter Olympic G‍ames. /Reuters Photo

The frosty relations between Pyongyang and Seoul began to thaw last month after the two sides met – for the first time in over two years – to discuss the DPRK's participation in the Winter Olympics.

A deal was struck between the two, under which Pyongyang would send 22 athletes to the Games, who will parade with ROK athletes under the unification flag during the opening ceremony. The DPRK and ROK also agreed to field a joint women's hockey team at the Games.

Pyongyang is also sending a 230-member cheering group and a 140-strong art troupe.

"We will warmly cheer the athletes, who will try and overcome challenges, and achieve their goals. We will enjoy, with the entire world, the moments when the efforts of the athletes are greeted with loud cheers from the spectators," Moon noted.