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From the Olympics Toword Tomorrow
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N. Korea presents Olympic tickets to local students
North Korea's delegation head Mun Jae Dok said he hopes the students will be able to watch his athletes compete in the speed skating and short track speed skating events during the Feb. 7-22 games in central Japan.
''The tickets were difficult to obtain but we were able to get hold of about 10 of them and we would like to present them to the children who are supporting our team,'' Mun said at a reception following the welcome ceremony at the Olympic Village.
At the ceremony, about 10 students each from Hoshina elementary school in Nagano and the Korean elementary and junior high school in Matsumoto sang the North Korean national anthem as village Mayor Shozo Sasahara welcomed the delegation at the Olympic Village Square.
The Korean school in Matsumoto is run by the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryun).
Hwang Ok Sil, bronze medalist in the women's 500-meter short track race at the 1992 Albertville Olympics, said she feels ''very good'' and added she considers Canada's Isabelle Charest, the world record holder in the 500, as her top rival.
The North Korean delegation, featuring eight short track speed skaters and two speed skating athletes, arrived at the Olympic Village in southern Nagano late Friday night to take part in their first winter games since 1992.
Earlier in the day, welcome ceremonies took place at the 19-hectar quarters for athletes and officials for Taiwan, Britain and Lithuania while the delegations from Netherlands, Sweden and Poland were officially welcomed in the afternoon.
(Kyodo News)
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Copyright 1998 The Shinano Mainichi Shimbun