Sport in North Korea
Encyclopedia
North Korea has a blend of both traditional and western sports in which the country participates.
, held at Rungrado May Day Stadium
in Pyongyang
on April 15 of every year in celebration of the birthdate of Kim il-Sung
.
The main attraction of Arirang is the mass gymnastics display, a vast performance featuring tens of thousands of performers performed with an accompaniment of card-turning mosaic performers occupying seats in the stands directly across from spectators. Often, performers (including card-turners) outnumber the spectators during these displays.
In May 2002, an Arirang performance, thought to be the largest ever produced in North Korea, featured 100,000 participants, a number that was twice the number of spectators, that was initiated in honor of Kim Jong-il
's 60th birthday. This performance was open to foreigners, a rarity, and critics claimed that the extravaganza was an effort to distract from the 2002 FIFA World Cup
, which was being co-hosted by South Korea
.
advanced to the FIFA World Cup
held in England
. After sixteen teams withdrew from qualifying in the Asian/African Zone, the North Korean team had a two-game series against Australia in Phnom Penh
, Cambodia
. The North Koreans won both games and qualified for the World Cup.
After losing 3-0 to the Soviet Union
, and drawing with Chile
, the North Koreans defeated Italy 1-0.
In the quarterfinal round, the North Koreans faced the Portugal national football team
. The Koreans scored three unanswered goals in the first 24 minutes. Portugal needed a four-goal effort by Eusébio
to pull out a 5-3 victory.
. Both Koreas qualified for the 2010 finals, but they were in different first-round groups. The second-round knockout stage
of the tournament was set up so the two Korean sides could not meet till the semifinals. The North Korea team failed to get past the group stages, finishing bottom of the group and losing all three matches.
in Pyongyang
. Traditionally major teams in the men's league include "April 25", "Pyongyang Municipal", and "Rimyongsu".
In September 2010, the first official friendly match between a domestic football team and a foreign club took place in the Kim Il-Sung Stadium http://gas-sg.com/?p=504. In these two matches Singapore-based "German All Stars" (GAS) played two matches against the 2nd and 3rd team of Pyongyang. The matches ended 1-0 respectively 4-2 for the Korean side. GAS Midfielder Matthias Bertl became the first German footballer to ever score a goal in the DPRK and also the first ever to score two goals. Further first-time records were set by Rene Schieber with the first ever shot on goal by a German footballer and Hendrik Bohne being the first footballer to nutmeg a DPRK player during an official match. As part of the team Simone Magnani become the first ever Italian to play a friendly in the DPRK. The Team was led by Florian Schmidt as the Captain for the opening match and consisted further of Steffen Schacher, Ingo Hartmann, Joerg Buenzel, Dr. Hermann Bergmann, Denis Mecklenburg, Philipp von Pein, Helge Muenkel and Thomas Berner in addition to previous mentioned players.
has seen more success on the national stage than the men's side, qualifying for the 1999
and 2003
FIFA Women's World Cup
. In 1999, the team defeated Denmark
during the group stage, and in 2003 defeated African champion Nigeria
. The women's team has established itself as one of the strongest is Asia, winning the 2001
and 2003
AFC Women's Asian Cups after finishing as the runner-up in 1993
and 1997
.
In September 2010, the Middlesbrough Ladies
football team toured the country for a series of friendlies. They played two matches, unaware that they would be playing professional sides. They played against April 25, losing 6-2, and played Kalmaegi, losing 5-0. The visit gave Middlesbrough their largest ever attendance, with both matches attracting 6,000 people each, beating the previous recorded of 1,000 when they played Arsenal Ladies
.
was founded. Clubs are based in such cities as Pyongyang
, Kaesong
, Kanggye
and Nampho.
The women’s team is ranked 21 out of 34 and competes in Division II.
in Munich, West Germany
, taking home five medals, including one gold. Four years later, in Montreal
, the nation took one gold and one silver in boxing
, and took five medals in boxing, freestyle wrestling
, and weightlifting in Moscow
. In 1984, the nation joined the Eastern bloc
boycott of the Los Angeles
Games, and four years later, boycotted the Games held in Seoul
due to the South
's unwillingness to co-host the event with the North. Despite a mostly unified Communist boycott in 1984, Cuba
, Ethiopia
, Madagascar
, Nicaragua
, and Seychelles
joined the North Korean boycott in 1988.
The nation returned to Olympic competition in 1992 at the Barcelona
Games, winning an unprecedented nine medals in Spain, four of them gold.
At the Athens
Games in 2004, the North and South marched together in the opening and closing ceremonies under the Unification Flag
, but competed separately. North Korea has medaled in every Summer Olympics they have participated in.
North Korean athletes have competed in several Winter Olympics competitions as well, first competing at the 1964 Winter Olympics
in Innsbruck
. Han Pil-Hwa
took silver medal in the women's 3000 meters of speed skating
at the game. Another North Korean Winter Olympic medal was a bronze in 1992
at the Albertville Games when Hwang Ok-Sil
took third place in the women's 500 meters of short-track speed skating. The North and South again marched under the Unification Flag at the Turin
Games in 2006.
promotion World Championship Wrestling
, led by company Executive Producer Eric Bischoff
and former World Champion Ric Flair
among others, flew to Pyongyang via China to participate in an "International Peace Festival" co-organised by North Korea and Japanese politician Antonio Inoki
, himself a former professional wrestling icon. Over the course of two days, WCW played to an audience of 340,000, at Pyongyang May Day stadium, the largest ever audience for a professional wrestling show, with a main event on the final night of Inoki vs. Flair, with a guest appearance by boxing icon Muhammad Ali
. However, the presence of armed guards in the audience points to the show being another carefully planned exercise in propaganda, with many wrestlers falsely quoted in state media as hailing Kim Jong-il and Kim Il-sung. Bischoff's autobiography also contains anecdotes about phone-tapping, cultural attaches, and taking his morning jog on the streets of Pyongyang.
Matches from the two shows, as well as footage from inside Pyongyang and a mass gymnastic display, were released on pay-per-view and VHS some 17 months after the event, entitled Collision in Korea, and though the PPV performed dismally, pulling a 0.15, the VHS release has become something of a cult hit among longtime wrestling fans and North Korean culture enthusiasts, the atmosphere of the show being so radically different from American wrestling's usual bombast and pageantry.
have been created by British filmmaker Daniel Gordon involving North Korean sport.
The 2002 film
The Game of Their Lives
details the seven surviving members of the 1966 World Cup team.
The 2004 film
A State of Mind
follows two child gymnasts and their families as they prepare for the 2003 Arirang Festival.
Arirang
Perhaps the most well known sporting event in North Korea is the annual Arirang FestivalArirang Festival
The Grand Mass Gymnastics and Artistic Performance Arirang are held in the Rungrado May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea...
, held at Rungrado May Day Stadium
Rungrado May Day Stadium
The Rŭngrado May First Stadium, or May Day Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea, completed on May 1, 1989.-Overview:The stadium was constructed as a main stadium for the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students in 1989....
in Pyongyang
Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
on April 15 of every year in celebration of the birthdate of Kim il-Sung
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung was a Korean communist politician who led the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death...
.
The main attraction of Arirang is the mass gymnastics display, a vast performance featuring tens of thousands of performers performed with an accompaniment of card-turning mosaic performers occupying seats in the stands directly across from spectators. Often, performers (including card-turners) outnumber the spectators during these displays.
In May 2002, an Arirang performance, thought to be the largest ever produced in North Korea, featured 100,000 participants, a number that was twice the number of spectators, that was initiated in honor of Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, birth name Yuri Irsenovich Kim born 16 February 1941 or 16 February 1942 , is the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...
's 60th birthday. This performance was open to foreigners, a rarity, and critics claimed that the extravaganza was an effort to distract from the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, which was being co-hosted by South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
.
1966 World Cup
In 1966, the national football teamKorea DPR national football team
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea national football team represents the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in international association football and is controlled by the DPR Korea Football Association, the governing body for football in North Korea.North Korea surprised with a...
advanced to the FIFA World Cup
1966 FIFA World Cup
The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...
held in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. After sixteen teams withdrew from qualifying in the Asian/African Zone, the North Korean team had a two-game series against Australia in Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since the French colonized Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's center of economic and industrial activities, as well as the center of security,...
, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
. The North Koreans won both games and qualified for the World Cup.
After losing 3-0 to the Soviet Union
USSR national football team
The Soviet Union National Football Team was the national football team of the Soviet Union. It ceased to exist after the break up of the Union...
, and drawing with Chile
Chile national football team
The Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in...
, the North Koreans defeated Italy 1-0.
In the quarterfinal round, the North Koreans faced the Portugal national football team
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
. The Koreans scored three unanswered goals in the first 24 minutes. Portugal needed a four-goal effort by Eusébio
Eusébio
Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM , commonly known simply as Eusébio, is a retired Mozambican-born Portuguese football forward. He is considered one of the best footballers of all-time by the IFFHS, experts and fans...
to pull out a 5-3 victory.
2010 World Cup
The Chollima did not qualify for any further World Cup finals until they advanced to the 2010 FIFA World Cup2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
. Both Koreas qualified for the 2010 finals, but they were in different first-round groups. The second-round knockout stage
2010 FIFA World Cup knockout stage
The knockout stage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup was the second and final stage of the World Cup, following the group stage. It began on 26 June with the round of 16 matches, and ended on 11 July with the final match of the tournament held at Soccer City, Johannesburg, in which Spain beat the...
of the tournament was set up so the two Korean sides could not meet till the semifinals. The North Korea team failed to get past the group stages, finishing bottom of the group and losing all three matches.
Domestic Football
North Korea has domestic leagues for both men and women, and all games take place at Kim Il-sung StadiumKim Il-sung Stadium
Kim Il-sung Stadium is a large stadium located in Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. It was originally built as the Kirimri Stadium in 1926 during the Japanese occupation in 1930-1940s...
in Pyongyang
Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
. Traditionally major teams in the men's league include "April 25", "Pyongyang Municipal", and "Rimyongsu".
In September 2010, the first official friendly match between a domestic football team and a foreign club took place in the Kim Il-Sung Stadium http://gas-sg.com/?p=504. In these two matches Singapore-based "German All Stars" (GAS) played two matches against the 2nd and 3rd team of Pyongyang. The matches ended 1-0 respectively 4-2 for the Korean side. GAS Midfielder Matthias Bertl became the first German footballer to ever score a goal in the DPRK and also the first ever to score two goals. Further first-time records were set by Rene Schieber with the first ever shot on goal by a German footballer and Hendrik Bohne being the first footballer to nutmeg a DPRK player during an official match. As part of the team Simone Magnani become the first ever Italian to play a friendly in the DPRK. The Team was led by Florian Schmidt as the Captain for the opening match and consisted further of Steffen Schacher, Ingo Hartmann, Joerg Buenzel, Dr. Hermann Bergmann, Denis Mecklenburg, Philipp von Pein, Helge Muenkel and Thomas Berner in addition to previous mentioned players.
Domestic Football for Women
Since 1993, the women's football teamKorea DPR women's national football team
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea women's national football team represents North Korea in international women's football. North Korea were the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship winners, and won the AFC Women's Asian Cup in 2001, 2003 and 2008....
has seen more success on the national stage than the men's side, qualifying for the 1999
FIFA Women's World Cup 1999
-Teams:16 teams participated in the final tournament. The teams were:-Squads:For a list of all squads that played in the final tournament, see 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup squads.-Match officials:...
and 2003
FIFA Women's World Cup 2003
The FIFA Women's World Cup 2003 was held in the United States and won by Germany. The tournament was originally scheduled for China. On May 3, 2003 the tournament was abruptly moved to the United States, as a result of the 2003 SARS outbreak in China...
FIFA Women's World Cup
FIFA Women's World Cup
The FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the...
. In 1999, the team defeated Denmark
Denmark women's national football team
The Denmark women's national football team represents Denmark in international women's football. The team is controlled by the Danish Football Association .-World Cup:*1970 : Winner *1971 : Winner...
during the group stage, and in 2003 defeated African champion Nigeria
Nigeria women's national football team
The Nigeria national women's football team, nicknamed the Super Falcons, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation...
. The women's team has established itself as one of the strongest is Asia, winning the 2001
2001 AFC Women's Championship
-Third place playoff:-Final:-Awards:...
and 2003
2003 AFC Women's Championship
-Third place playoff:-Final:-External links:**...
AFC Women's Asian Cups after finishing as the runner-up in 1993
1993 AFC Women's Championship
The Asian Football Confederation's 1993 AFC Women's Championship was held from December 3 to December 12, 1993 in Kuching, Malaysia. The tournament was won for the fourth consecutive time by China in the final against North Korea.-Group A:-Group B:...
and 1997
1997 AFC Women's Championship
-Final:-External links:* at RSSSF.com...
.
In September 2010, the Middlesbrough Ladies
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
football team toured the country for a series of friendlies. They played two matches, unaware that they would be playing professional sides. They played against April 25, losing 6-2, and played Kalmaegi, losing 5-0. The visit gave Middlesbrough their largest ever attendance, with both matches attracting 6,000 people each, beating the previous recorded of 1,000 when they played Arsenal Ladies
Arsenal L.F.C.
Arsenal Ladies Football Club are an English women's association football club affiliated with Arsenal F.C.. Founded in 1987, they are the most successful club in English women's football having won 34 major trophies to date; which are 12 FA Women's Premier League titles, 11 FA Women's Cups, ten...
.
Ice Hockey
North Korea has a men’s team that is ranked 43rd out of 49 in the IIHF and will compete in Division II in 2011. A domestic hockey league began operations in 1955, the same year the Ice Hockey Association of the DPR KoreaIce Hockey Association of the DPR Korea
The Ice Hockey Association of the DPR Korea is the governing body of ice hockey in North Korea.-External links:* at IIHF.com...
was founded. Clubs are based in such cities as Pyongyang
Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
, Kaesong
Kaesong
Kaesŏng is a city in North Hwanghae Province, southern North Korea , a former Directly Governed City, and the capital of Korea during the Koryo Dynasty. The city is near Kaesŏng Industrial Region and it contains the remains of the Manwoldae palace. It was formally named Songdo while it was the...
, Kanggye
Kanggye
Kanggye is the provincial capital of Chagang, North Korea and has a population of 209,000. Because of its strategic importance, derived from its topography, it has been of military interest from the time of the Joseon Dynasty .-Geography:...
and Nampho.
The women’s team is ranked 21 out of 34 and competes in Division II.
North Korea in the Olympics
North Korea's first Summer Olympics appearance on its own was in the 1972 Summer Olympics1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
in Munich, West Germany
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, taking home five medals, including one gold. Four years later, in Montreal
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
, the nation took one gold and one silver in boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, and took five medals in boxing, freestyle wrestling
Freestyle wrestling
Freestyle wrestling is a style of amateur wrestling that is practised throughout the world. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic games. It is, along with track and field, one of the oldest organized sports in history...
, and weightlifting in Moscow
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
. In 1984, the nation joined the Eastern bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
boycott of the Los Angeles
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
Games, and four years later, boycotted the Games held in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
due to the South
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
's unwillingness to co-host the event with the North. Despite a mostly unified Communist boycott in 1984, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, and Seychelles
Seychelles
Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
joined the North Korean boycott in 1988.
The nation returned to Olympic competition in 1992 at the Barcelona
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
Games, winning an unprecedented nine medals in Spain, four of them gold.
At the Athens
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
Games in 2004, the North and South marched together in the opening and closing ceremonies under the Unification Flag
Unification Flag
The Unification Flag is a flag designed to represent all of Korea when both North and South Korea participate in sporting events. The flag was first used in 1991 when the two countries competed as a single team in the 41st World Table Tennis Championship in Chiba, Japan and the 8th World Youth...
, but competed separately. North Korea has medaled in every Summer Olympics they have participated in.
North Korean athletes have competed in several Winter Olympics competitions as well, first competing at the 1964 Winter Olympics
1964 Winter Olympics
The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from January 29 to February 9, 1964...
in Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
. Han Pil-Hwa
Han Pil-Hwa
Han Pil-Hwa is a female North Korean speed skater who competed in the 1964 Winter Olympics and in the 1972 Winter Olympics....
took silver medal in the women's 3000 meters of speed skating
Speed skating
Speed skating, or speedskating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating...
at the game. Another North Korean Winter Olympic medal was a bronze in 1992
1992 Winter Olympics
The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville, France. They were the last Winter Olympics to be held the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first where the Winter Paralympics...
at the Albertville Games when Hwang Ok-Sil
Hwang Ok-Sil
Hwang Ok-Sil is a North Korean short track speed skater, who won bronze in the 500 m at the 1992 Winter Olympics.-References:*...
took third place in the women's 500 meters of short-track speed skating. The North and South again marched under the Unification Flag at the Turin
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
Games in 2006.
Professional wrestling
In 1995, a crew from defunct national professional wrestlingProfessional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
promotion World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
, led by company Executive Producer Eric Bischoff
Eric Bischoff
Eric Aaron Bischoff is an American entrepreneur, and professional wrestling booker and on-screen personality currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
and former World Champion Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
among others, flew to Pyongyang via China to participate in an "International Peace Festival" co-organised by North Korea and Japanese politician Antonio Inoki
Antonio Inoki
is a Japanese professional wrestling promoter and retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist who now resides between New York City and Tokyo. He was also the founder and former owner of New Japan Pro Wrestling before selling his controlling share in the promotion to Yukes...
, himself a former professional wrestling icon. Over the course of two days, WCW played to an audience of 340,000, at Pyongyang May Day stadium, the largest ever audience for a professional wrestling show, with a main event on the final night of Inoki vs. Flair, with a guest appearance by boxing icon Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
. However, the presence of armed guards in the audience points to the show being another carefully planned exercise in propaganda, with many wrestlers falsely quoted in state media as hailing Kim Jong-il and Kim Il-sung. Bischoff's autobiography also contains anecdotes about phone-tapping, cultural attaches, and taking his morning jog on the streets of Pyongyang.
Matches from the two shows, as well as footage from inside Pyongyang and a mass gymnastic display, were released on pay-per-view and VHS some 17 months after the event, entitled Collision in Korea, and though the PPV performed dismally, pulling a 0.15, the VHS release has become something of a cult hit among longtime wrestling fans and North Korean culture enthusiasts, the atmosphere of the show being so radically different from American wrestling's usual bombast and pageantry.
Cinema
Two English language documentariesDocumentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
have been created by British filmmaker Daniel Gordon involving North Korean sport.
The 2002 film
2002 in film
The year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of...
The Game of Their Lives
The Game of Their Lives (2002 film)
The Game of Their Lives or "Chollima Chookgudan" is a 2002 documentary film directed by Daniel Gordon and his executive Nicholas Bonner about the seven surviving members of the North Korean national football team who participated in the Football World Cup 1966...
details the seven surviving members of the 1966 World Cup team.
The 2004 film
2004 in film
The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
A State of Mind
A State of Mind
A State of Mind is a 2004 documentary film directed by Daniel Gordon and produced by Nicholas Bonner. The film follows two North Korean child gymnasts and their families for over eight months during training for the 2003 Pyongyang mass games...
follows two child gymnasts and their families as they prepare for the 2003 Arirang Festival.