The Tokyo Olympics has already been postponed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and with the recent surge in the number of positive cases in Japan, doubts have arisen regarding the same, with just a few months away from the Games. 

As per the latest reports of a website run by North Korea, the Asian country has decided not to participate in the Olympics owing to health concerns and they become the first nation to take such a drastic step due to the pandemic. 31 athletes represented North Korea at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where they bagged seven medals and finished as the 34th nation as per the final standings.

The slow vaccine rollout in the host nation has also acted as a catalyst, even though Japan’s Olympic Committee has not received any official notification from North Korea. It was also learnt from the source that the decision to give the mega event a miss was taken on March 25 by the country’s Olympics committee to protect its athletes during the global health crisis. 

“Quarantine remains a top priority for North Korea, and given that the Covid situation remains serious globally, Pyongyang clearly decided that it cannot risk sending a delegation to Japan,” said Rachel Minyoung Lee, an independent political analyst, as reported by Quint.