South Korean skiers fly to North for joint training event

Seoul (dpa) - A South Korean delegation of 45, including 31 skiers, flew to North Korea on Wednesday for a joint training event just over a week before the opening of the Winter Olympics.The joint training is to take place at the Masik ski resort after the party landed at Kalma Airport in the eastern city of Wonsan, the South Korean unification ministry said. Support staff and journalists also travelled.In the South Korean group the athletes are not in the team for the Pyeongchang Games, which open February 9, but could yet be called up as reserves. The combined group of both South and 10 athletes as part of a North Korean delegation of 32 are scheduled to fly to the Gangwon province in South Korea on Thursday.Last week the International Olympic Committee said 22 North Korean athletes who had not qualified for the Games or had missed the registration deadline would be able to compete.Both Korean teams are set to march together in the opening ceremony and have a joint womenlsquo;s ice hockey team.North Korea is also planning to send a 140-member orchestra, cheer squads, taekwondo demonstration teams and journalists.