The International Olympic Committee(IOC) has suspended North Korea’s National Olympic Committee(NOC) through the end of 2022 for its unilateral decision not to participate in this summer’s Tokyo Olympics.

IOC President Thomas Bach announced the suspension on Wednesday in a news conference, saying that the North's NOC was the only national Olympic committee that did not participate in the Summer Games. 

Bach reportedly said that the NOC will not receive any financial support from the IOC during the suspension. 

Foreign media said that the decision will bar North Korea from competing in next year's Winter Olympics in Beijing.

However, Bach reportedly said that individual athletes from North Korea who qualify to compete in Beijing could still be accepted by a separate decision in the future.