Olympic Notes: IOC Not Ruling Out Joint Korea Team, North Korea Hosting 2018 Games

The IOC is "not ruling out a proposed joint Korean team" at next year's PyeongChang Games or North Korea "hosting a piece of the 2018 Winter Olympics." IOC Olympic Games Exec Dir Christophe Dubi said, "Every time the Games can play a role, a positive role of this nature, we cannot shut the door. We are not speaking about must or not must, we are speaking about opportunities. If the Games can create these opportunities, let's seize them" (KYODO, 6/29).

Anticipating a "serious accommodation shortage" at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the Japanese government is "exploring using luxury cruise ships as floating hotels," officials said on Thursday. Ministries and other central government offices "joined hands with municipalities and cruise ship operators to assess the feasibility of the idea." A task force meeting was held on Thursday. Accommodation shortages during the Olympics and Paralympics "have emerged as a major headache for both the public and private sectors" (KYODO, 6/29).