HAVANA, Reuter: A North Korean Government Minister travelled to Havana to honor 173 Cuban Athletes in a gesture of gratitude for Cuba’s boycott of the Seoul Olympics, the official daily newspaper Granma said on Friday.
Communications Minister Kim ChangJu pinned medals on the chests of the athletes and 38 sports officials during a ceremony on Thursday night attended by President Fidel Castro.
The awards were first presented a few days ago in Pyongyang to a visiting Cuban delegation.
Cuba stayed away from the Olympics in solidarity with its North Korean ally after Pyongyang failed to jointly host the games with rival South Korea,
“(These Awards) are a beautiful gesture on the part of the North Korean republic. We did not expect it and it shows they were touched by our attitude” Granma quoted Castro as saying.
Each athlete also received a book and a watch.
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Article extracted from this publication >> October 28, 1988
