Koreas claim progress toward joint team

Officials from North and South Korea claimed progress in their bid to forge a joint team for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

The IOC, which hosted delegations from the two Koreas at its Swiss headquarters, did not specify what common ground was reached but said they had inched closer to a deal.

"Progress has been made in the creation of a unified team that could take part in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing," the IOC said in a statement.

"A number of matters remain to be discussed, but the foundations have been laid and the meetings mark a milestone in the completion of this important project for the two Koreas and the Olympic movement," it added.

North and South Korea agreed in November 2005 to send a combined team to the Beijing games, but have since failed to overcome differences about how it should be selected.

Pyongyang wants equal representation of athletes from the North and South, while Seoul says selection should be on merit to create the most competitive team possible.

South Korea has a larger population and better funded sport associations than its northern neighbour.

IOC president Jacques Rogge, who met separately with delegates from both countries' Olympic committees before convening the joint session on Tuesday, has said it was up to the nations themselves to establish a plan for a joint team.

There was no IOC proposal under discussion during the meeting.