North and South Korea to launch joint bid for 2032 Olympics
By Richard Cooke
Last Updated: 19/09/18 7:27am
North and South Korea have agreed to jointly bid for the 2032 Olympic Games.
The two countries issued a statement at a news conference in Pyongyang, North Korea on Wednesday following a summit between North Korea leader Kim Jong Un and South Korea president Moon Jae-in.
The statement also said they had agreed to "participate jointly" at international competitions including the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Donald Trump responded to the news by tweeting: "very exciting!"
The idea of a joint bid to host the Summer Games in 2032 was floated last week by Seoul's Sports Minister Do Jong-hwan.
Do said co-hosting the Games would build on the success of this year's Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, where North Korea's participation helped ease tensions on the peninsula.
If the bid is successful it will bring the Summer Olympics to the Korean peninsula for the first time since Seoul hosted the Games in 1988.
But there is already competition from Germany, who have announced plans for a multi-city bid in 2032 while Brisbane has also put its hat into the ring.
Following the 2020 Games in Tokyo, the Olympics will be staged in Paris in 2024 and Los Angeles in 2028.
