IOC suspends NKorea from Beijing Olympics for Tokyo no-show

By GRAHAM DUNBAR
AP Sports Writer

GENEVA (AP) — North Korea has been formally suspended from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics by the International Olympic Committee. It’s a punishment for refusing to send a team to the Tokyo Games citing the COVID-19 pandemic. IOC president Thomas Bach says the North Korean national Olympic body will also now forfeit money it was due from previous Olympics. The unspecified amount was withheld because of international sanctions. Individual athletes from North Korea who qualify for Beijing could still be accepted by a separate future decision. The suspension marks a drop in North Korea’s Olympic status since diplomatic efforts the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea.