Press Statement of Spokesperson for DPRK

Football Association

Pyongyang, May 29 (KCNA) -- A spokesperson for the DPRK Football
Association released the following press statement on May 28:
Shortly ago, the government of the Netherlands refused the issuing of an entry
visa for the DPRK team, due to attend the 14th World Military Women's Football
Championship, without any justifiable reason.
This abnormal situation is a very serious act contrary to the fundamental idea of
the Olympic movement on eliminating discrimination in sports and making
sportspersons from all countries and regions participate in international sports
games with equal qualifications and to the motto of the International Military
Sports Council called the "friendship through sports".
The DPRK Football Association bitterly denounces the Dutch misbehavior of
unreasonably checking the participation of the DPRK's sportspersons in
international games as a political hostile act.
Sports should contribute to promoting peace and friendship among countries and
peoples.
The politicization of sports cannot be justified with any reason.
The Dutch government's behavior is an insult to the noble mission of sports with
"unity, friendship, equal competition and mutual understanding" as its idea, and it
is a base and mean act of aligning itself with the moves of the hostile forces who
are displeased with the DPRK's football team's participation in the games.
The International Military Sports Council should seriously reflect on the gravity of
the abnormal situation and realize the sound development, independence and
non-politicization of sports and take issue with acts contrary to it.
The Netherlands, which violated the noble sports spirit, is not morally qualified to
host the international sports festival.
The DPRK does not feel at all the need to participate in the 14th World Military
Women's Football Championship politicized by the Dutch unjust acts and,
accordingly, will not send its team to it.

The Netherlands will be certainly held accountable for its unfriendly and unjust
acts of politicizing sports under the sinister purposes. -0-