DPRK to host Asian youth weightlifting championships

FE Team | Published: August 26, 2018 20:32:54

JAKARTA: Gold medallist Taiwan's Wen Tzuyun (2nd L), silver medallist Iran's Taravat Khaksar (L) and bronze medallists Indonesia's Cokorda Istri Agung Sanistyarani (2nd R) and Macau's Wong Sok-i posing on the podium during the awards giving ceremony for the women's -55kg category karate event at the 2018 Asian Games here on Sunday — AFP

JAKARTA, Aug 26 (AFP): The 2019 Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships will be held in the North Korean capital Pyongyang, a signal that the secretive country may be coming in from the sporting cold.
At the Asian Games weightlifting in Jakarta, which North Korea have dominated winning seven golds, the Asian Weightlifting Federation and North Korea's Sports Minister Kim II Guk signed an agreement Sunday for North Korea to hold the championships from October 27 next year.
North Korean sports administrators have been hoping the country would be able to host international events after combining with South Korea in several sports at this year's Winter Olympics and Asian Games, and also marching under one flag at the Games' opening ceremonies.
North Korea was left isolated and subject to UN Security Council sanctions over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes, meaning it lost the right to hold the 2018 Junior World Weightlifting Championships.