North Korea returned to the Games after a four-year hiatus. The country’s weightlifters have avoided doping tests.
Ri Song-gum returned to international competitions after a four-year break. EPA / AOP
North Korean weightlifters returned to international competitions when the country’s athletes were seen at the Asian Championships in China.
North Korea Ri Song-gum won the 49-kilogram category and set world records in the parallel pull and push.
Kang Hyongyong on the other hand, won the 55-kilogram series with a score of 103–130–233 and set three world records.
Ri Song-gum has not competed in four years. His most recent competition performance was from the 2019 IWF World Championships.
North Korea did not participate in the Tokyo Olympics due to the coronavirus pandemic. The International Olympic Committee later banned the country from the international games.
– During Covid I trained hard and that’s why I achieved this amazing result and broke the world record, Song-gum said According to Inside The Games.
However, North Korea will not be seen at the Paris Olympics next summer, as none of the country’s athletes participated in the qualifying competitions.
During the four-year hiatus from competition, North Korean weightlifters were not tested for banned substances. According to Inside The Games, the international testing agency ITA said that it has not been possible to conduct unannounced tests. North Korea is practically closed off from the rest of the world, so the international federations have not been able to do anything regarding doping testing.