North Korea has only just commenced coverage of the 2020 Olympics, two days after the closing ceremony.
The Tokyo Games, which was delayed a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, came to an end last Sunday with a breathtaking display, but residents of North Korea are playing catch up.
The Pyongyang government are broadcasting events from the fortnight and according to Yonhap, the first event shown was a women’s football match between Team GB and Chile.
The country’s TV service known as Korean Central Television, aired 70 minutes of Team GB's opening fixture of the tournament, which they won 2-0.
Not only did the network not show the entire match, but it was broadcast with an absence of commentary and with a low resolution.
If it were not for the late broadcast, North Korean residents would have been unaware the Olympics went ahead as they are forbidden from accessing the internet or watching international TV channels.
The country opted against sending athletes to Tokyo this year, as they wanted to protect them due to their concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.
The regime, however, publicly announced there are no cases of Covid in the country.
A statement from the country's ministry of sport read: “The committee decided not to join the 32nd Olympics Games to protect athletes from the global health crisis caused by the coronavirus."
The International Olympic Committee claims they contacted North Korea to enquire about the state of the pandemic within the country.
An IOC spokesperson said: "The IOC has not received any official application from the NOC of DPRK to be released from their obligation to take part in the Olympic Games according to the Olympic Charter."
The Tokyo 2020 games marked the first time North Korea has missed a summer games since the Seoul Olympics in 1988.
They chose to skip that Games due to the Cold War, which came to an end three years later.
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