The unified Korean canoeing team, that fared remarkably in the Asian Games, will not be able to compete in the 2018 Dragon Boat World Championships set to be open next week in the U.S.
Radio Free Asia(RFA) said Wednesday that the unified team will not be able to try out for the event as the North Korean athletes have not been granted visas.
RFA quoted the International Canoe Federation’s media and communication manager, Ross Solly, as saying that the federation met with the canoe federations of both Koreas during the Asian Games and decided "reluctantly" to not include the joint team in the competition.
Solly cited that the federation had been in contact with the International Olympic Committee and related U.S. authorities but said it became clear that more time was needed for visas for the North Korean athletes to be approved.
The unified team garnered a gold medal in the women’s 500 meter event in the latest Asian Games, becoming the first to win a gold medal in a global sports competition as a joint team.
The team also grabbed bronze medals in the women’s 200 meter and men’s one-thousand meter events.