Some info on a skating show in North Korea
So, recently there was Kim Jong-il's birthday and besides all it was celebrated by a skating show in Pyongyang. Apparently the North Korean is a skating fanboy and this kind of events are held in Pyongyang for his everybirthday.
This year cast of non N.Korean skaters consisted of Sasha Smirnov/Yuko Kavaguti, Fabian Bourzat/Nathalie Péchalat and Tomas Verner (source)
Here's a poster of the event (it'd be nice if somebody - we all know who ;) could translate it):
And also I found two little articles about the event in English.
Japanese-born Kawaguchi takes part in skating festival in North Korea
YONGYANG(Kyodo) -- Yuko Kawaguchi, a Japanese-born, Russian pair skater, performed at an international figure skating festival in Pyongyang on Tuesday.
Kawaguchi, who obtained Russian citizenship in 2009, won the European Figure Skating Championships in January last year with her partner Alexander Smirnov, also representing Russia, making her the first Japanese-born figure skater to win a European Championships title.
It was believed to be the first time that a Japanese-born skater has taken part in the Paektusan Prize International Figure Skating Festival in Pyongyang, an event meant to celebrate North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's birthday on Feb. 16.
Along with Kawaguchi, figure skaters from the Czech Republic, France and North Korea took part in the festival at the capital's Ice Rink, the 20th of its kind.
Spectators cheered and clapped as Kawaguchi and Smirnov finished their performance. how touching, lol
(Mainichi Japan) February 16, 2011
source
Czech figure skater dances at Kim Jong-il's birthday feast
Prague, Feb 17 (CTK) - Czech figure skater Tomas Verner, 24, bronze medallist from the 2011 European Figure Skating Championships, took part in a figure-skating exhibition within the celebrations of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's birthday in Pyongyang these days, Lidove noviny (LN) reports Thursday.
"Tomas is very popular in North Korea. I mean among ordinary people and not politicians," Lukas Pribyl, from the Sport Invest company, representing Verner, said.
He added that Verner had never been involved in political activities.
Czech diplomacy was not much enthusiastic about Verner's trip to he country with a tough totalitarian regime, LN writes.
Nevertheless, Czech authorities have not interfered in Verner's participation in Kim Jong-il's birthday celebrations.
"We cannot ban any athlete or artist from travelling or performing abroad. It is up to him/her," Foreign Ministry spokesman Vit Kolar told the paper.
Pribyl confirmed that the trip to North Korea was Verner's private activity. It was a part of his Asian tour during which he will visit China, Japan and South Korea, he added.
The Czech Olympic Committee (COV) only said it had not sent Verner to North Korea and consequently, it would not assess his visit.
Figure skaters from other countries, such as France and Russia, also went to Pyongyang to participate in the programme of the birthday celebrations, the Russian ITAR-TASS press agency reported, LN writes.
Verner said before his departure that he had been to North Korea ten years ago and would like to see how the country had changed.
"I did not want to think of it this way. I am an athlete and not a politician," LN cites Verner as saying in reaction to a mention about the North Korean cruel communist regime.
However, Kolar pointed out that even a seemingly apolitical event in North Korea had political dimensions.
"I hope that they (athletes traveling to Pyongyan) will realise that their colleagues athletes and artists in North Korea are prevented from travelling, practicing sport and creating art freely exactly due to Kim Jong-il," Kolar told LN.
source
I've read that Tomas went just to spend some time with his girlfriend - Nathalie Péchalat
BTW, this event happens every year and some famous skaters went - without any additional research I can for sure name Anissina/Peizerat and Yagudin (he spoke about it himself). And Yags was invited not once - looks like Kim Jong-il likes him (lol forever).
This year cast of non N.Korean skaters consisted of Sasha Smirnov/Yuko Kavaguti, Fabian Bourzat/Nathalie Péchalat and Tomas Verner (source)
Here's a poster of the event (it'd be nice if somebody - we all know who ;) could translate it):
And also I found two little articles about the event in English.
Japanese-born Kawaguchi takes part in skating festival in North Korea
YONGYANG(Kyodo) -- Yuko Kawaguchi, a Japanese-born, Russian pair skater, performed at an international figure skating festival in Pyongyang on Tuesday.
Kawaguchi, who obtained Russian citizenship in 2009, won the European Figure Skating Championships in January last year with her partner Alexander Smirnov, also representing Russia, making her the first Japanese-born figure skater to win a European Championships title.
It was believed to be the first time that a Japanese-born skater has taken part in the Paektusan Prize International Figure Skating Festival in Pyongyang, an event meant to celebrate North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's birthday on Feb. 16.
Along with Kawaguchi, figure skaters from the Czech Republic, France and North Korea took part in the festival at the capital's Ice Rink, the 20th of its kind.
Spectators cheered and clapped as Kawaguchi and Smirnov finished their performance. how touching, lol
(Mainichi Japan) February 16, 2011
source
Czech figure skater dances at Kim Jong-il's birthday feast
Prague, Feb 17 (CTK) - Czech figure skater Tomas Verner, 24, bronze medallist from the 2011 European Figure Skating Championships, took part in a figure-skating exhibition within the celebrations of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's birthday in Pyongyang these days, Lidove noviny (LN) reports Thursday.
"Tomas is very popular in North Korea. I mean among ordinary people and not politicians," Lukas Pribyl, from the Sport Invest company, representing Verner, said.
He added that Verner had never been involved in political activities.
Czech diplomacy was not much enthusiastic about Verner's trip to he country with a tough totalitarian regime, LN writes.
Nevertheless, Czech authorities have not interfered in Verner's participation in Kim Jong-il's birthday celebrations.
"We cannot ban any athlete or artist from travelling or performing abroad. It is up to him/her," Foreign Ministry spokesman Vit Kolar told the paper.
Pribyl confirmed that the trip to North Korea was Verner's private activity. It was a part of his Asian tour during which he will visit China, Japan and South Korea, he added.
The Czech Olympic Committee (COV) only said it had not sent Verner to North Korea and consequently, it would not assess his visit.
Figure skaters from other countries, such as France and Russia, also went to Pyongyang to participate in the programme of the birthday celebrations, the Russian ITAR-TASS press agency reported, LN writes.
Verner said before his departure that he had been to North Korea ten years ago and would like to see how the country had changed.
"I did not want to think of it this way. I am an athlete and not a politician," LN cites Verner as saying in reaction to a mention about the North Korean cruel communist regime.
However, Kolar pointed out that even a seemingly apolitical event in North Korea had political dimensions.
"I hope that they (athletes traveling to Pyongyan) will realise that their colleagues athletes and artists in North Korea are prevented from travelling, practicing sport and creating art freely exactly due to Kim Jong-il," Kolar told LN.
source
I've read that Tomas went just to spend some time with his girlfriend - Nathalie Péchalat
BTW, this event happens every year and some famous skaters went - without any additional research I can for sure name Anissina/Peizerat and Yagudin (he spoke about it himself). And Yags was invited not once - looks like Kim Jong-il likes him (lol forever).