Even though Israel has been banned from the Asian Games (ASIAD) since '81, an Israeli transit app "will help teams and fans get to their sports destinations on time, using public transportation," according to Shoshanna Solomon of the TIMES OF ISRAEL. The crowdsourced public transportation app Moovit, created by an Israeli startup of the same name, was chosen as the official mobility app for the Asian Games. The ASIAD, held every four years, is "hailed as the second-largest multi-sport event after the Olympics," with teams from 44 countries participating and 3 million fans expected to attend. Moovit's free public transit app is available on Android, iOS and the web, and has more than 200 million users in over 2,500 cities in 82 countries. This is "not the first time the startup’s app has been put to work at a major sporting event." Moovit was the official transit app for the city of Rio de Janeiro during the 2016 Olympics and also has a partnership with AS Roma (TIMES OF ISRAEL, 8/13).
ONE FOR ALL: KYODO reported North and South Korean athletes played on the same team Wednesday for the first time at the Asian Games "amid ongoing reconciliation efforts." In its debut at the Asian Games, a women's basketball team comprised of players from the two Koreas defeated host Indonesia 108-40 ahead of the "official opening of the quadrennial meet on Saturday." Despite "no tangible progress being made over North Korea's denuclearization, the country has continued using sports diplomacy" from the beginning of this year to reach out to the rest of the world (KYODO, 8/15).
THE START OF A TREND?: In Seoul, Kang Aa-young reported South Korea head coach Lee Kye-chung said that the two Koreas "are likely to form a joint women's handball team at an upcoming competition." The next event Lee referred to is the 17th Asian Women's Championships, which will open in Kumamoto, Japan, on Dec. 1 (KOREA TIMES, 8/15).
