The IOC on Tuesday denied reports from the South Korean media that North Korea had requested some of its athletes be allowed to compete in the upcoming Sochi Winter Olympics as ''wild cards," according to Jung Min-ho of the KOREA TIMES. IOC Media Relations Manager Andrew Mitchell said, "We are unaware of any such request. In any case, we would like to confirm that the IOC does not provide wild cards for the Olympic Winter Games." No North Korean athletes "have earned a ticket to the Games, which will be held Feb. 7-23." Under the IOC’s policy of "continental representation," wild card slots can be earned with approvals from an athlete’s national Olympic committee, the sport’s int'l federation and the IOC (KOREA TIMES, 1/28).
PRIZE MONEY: In Seoul, Na Jeong-ju wrote oil refiner S-Oil said Monday that "it will give rewards to Korean skaters who win medals" at the upcoming Sochi Olympics. The company will pay 20M won ($18,460) each to Gold Medalists in individual races, 10M won ($9,200) to Silver Medal winners and 5M won ($4,600) to Bronze Medal winners (KOREA TIMES, 1/27).
