The South Korea women’s ice hockey team welcomed 12 North Korean players onto the roster for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang in a surprising move. Now an IOC official believes the team is a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Angela Ruggiero, an American member of the International Olympic Committee, told reporters she would “love the team to get the Nobel Peace Prize” and she would ask for them to be nominated.
Ruggiero herself played ice hockey and won gold with Team USA.
“As someone who competed in four Olympics and knows it isn’t about you, your team, or your country, I saw the power of what it did last night,” Ruggiero said.
Some have been critical of South Korea’s willingness to engage with their northern neighbors, with whom they are technically still at war. North Korea sent 22 athletes to the Games, as well as 230 other citizens to cheer them on. Kim Jong-Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, also attended the games representing North Korea.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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