The International Olympic Committee has announced that 22 athletes from North Korea will compete at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

There will also be a unified team with South Korea in women’s ice hockey and the two countries will march together as one under the name of Korea at the opening ceremony.

Athletes from North Korea will compete in figure skating, short-track speed skating, cross-country skiing and alpine skiing, with 12 players joining the current South Korea squad of 23 for the women’s ice hockey tournament.

They will be led into the stadium under the Korean unification flag, carried by one athlete from each country.

IOC president Thomas Bach said: “The Olympic spirit is about respect, dialogue and understanding. The Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 are hopefully opening the door to a brighter future on the Korean peninsula, and inviting the world to join in a celebration of hope.

“The Olympic Games show us what the world could look like, if we were all guided by the Olympic spirit of respect and understanding. This is the Olympic message that will go from PyeongChang to the world.”

The Winter Olympics runs from February 9 to 25.