The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has reportedly ended North Korea's suspension of qualification, opening the door for the North to participate in the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported on Saturday that the IOC has officially confirmed the suspension has ended, saying that the North Korean Olympic Committee's suspension was automatically lifted on December 31, 2022.

The RFA added that the North Korean Olympic Committee also received this information.

The end of the suspension will now enable North Korea to participate in the Asian Games set for September in Hangzhou, China, as well as the Paris Olympics in July next year.

The IOC previously banned North Korea from participating in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics after Pyongyang declined to send athletes to the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, citing concerns over the spread of COVID-19.

At the time, North Korea was the only one among the 206 national Olympic committees under the IOC that did not send athletes to the Olympics.