Historic Olympic bid

Co-hosting by two Koreas will produce win-win results

The two Koreas are eyeing a joint bis to host the 2032 Summer Olympic Games.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach met with oficials from the two Koreas last week at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. The IOC chief welcomed the initiative, saying it reflects "the mission of the Olympic Games and the unifying power of the sport."

The Olypics have provided a pivotal impetus for reconciliation of the two Koreas in the past, most notably at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games. North Korea sent a high-level delegation led by its leader Kim Jongun's sister Kim Yojong. North Korea's paricipation left an unforgettable mark on the PyeongChang Olympics, which is known to the world as the "Peace Olympics." This resulted in a series of meetings between President Moon Jaein and Kim last year alone, thus creating the mood for various inter-Korean exchanges to take place.

Although the two countries have fielded joint teams at international sporting events, co-hosting will be a monunental step forward in bridging the two Koreas. During the PyeongChang Olympics, the peoples of the two Koreas cheered together for unified teams in sports like women's hockey  and were deeply moved by the friendship that had formed among the athletes in such a short time.

Hosting the Olympics together will be a win-win move for both Koreans. For south Korea, it will the first time for Seoul to host the Summer Olympics since 1988. Needless to say, the 1988 Seoul Olympics played an instrumental role in catapulting the formerly unknown Korea into the global stage and brought huge changes to Korean society. For North Korea, co-hosting the Olympic Games means that it is ready to open its doors to the international community. Pyongyang can also expect huge economic benefits by building new infrastructure. Above all, the co-hosting of the Olympics can have a lasting impact on uniting the peoples of the two Koreas through sports.

However, there are some hurdles that must be overcome. There will be considerable competition from other cities that are also planning to make their bids for 2032, including Shanghai, China; Mumbai, India; and Vladivostok, Russia.

There will also be strong backlash from within, as some of the South Korean public may be against the idea of hosting the Olympics as it may cause too much budgetary burden. Many countries shun hosting the Olympics nowadays because it costs too much money to prepare and maintain the facilities afterward. Many Koreans feel that todayos Korea is not what it was in the 1980s and no longer see the need to prove themseles in the international community through successfully hosting mega sporting events like the Olympics.

Also, there is the question of how to convince the international community of the need to host the Olympics in two separate IOC member countries as there is no precdence.

Despite these and other difficulties that lie ahead, people need to keep in mind that co-hosting the 2032 Olympics has more pros than cons. Therefore, the government and the people should get ready to fully support the bid's success.