North and South Korea Officially Launch Joint Bid to Host the 2032 Olympics

The government in Seoul, South Korea has notified the International Olympic Committee of its bid to co-host the 2032 Summer Olympic Games with Pyongyang, North Korea. 

According to multiple Korean news outlets, the Seoul metropolitan government filed the bid with the IOC’s Future Host Commission last week. 

Although the IOC previously announced Brisbane, Australia as the preferred host for the games, governmental leaders are calling on the committee to reopen bids for consideration. 

As the preferred host for the Games, Brisbane is not guaranteed the Olympic hosting job. Instead, the city has moved into the IOC’s “targeted dialogue” phase of the discussion around the 2032 Games, setting it apart from other potential host cities.

“The IOC selected Australia’s Brisbane as the preferred host for the 2032 Summer Olympics in a surprise move announced on Feb. 25. The South Korean government and the Seoul city immediately expressed regrets at the decision and held consultations with the IOC, leading to the presentation of the co-hosting proposal,” the metropolitan government said.

North and South Korea previously announced their joint bid to host the Olympics in 2018, when the countries’ leaders signed the Pyongyang Joint Declaration. However, the two countries did not officially pursue the bid until now. The countries’ original proposal to host the games “elaborated on the realization of global peace through sports and other positive ripple effects from the co-hosting of the Olympics by Seoul and Pyongyang.” In addition, it centered around five major concepts, including cost reduction and minimal environmental damage, inter-Korean connection and peace and a combination of cutting-edge technologies and Korean culture.