The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended North Korea's national Olympic committee on Wednesday for unilaterally opting not to participate in the Tokyo Olympics, a suspension that will prevent the North from competing in the Beijing Winter Games next year.

The International Olympic Committee's Executive Board today decided to suspend the Olympic Committee of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (PRK NOC) until the end of 2022 as a result of the NOC's unilateral decision not to participate in the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, according to the IOC's website.

According to the IOC, the PRK NOC was the only national Olympic committee that did not compete in the Tokyo Olympics. North Korea said in April that it would not participate in the Tokyo Olympic Games due to the COVID-19 epidemic, citing the necessity to protect its athletes.

During the suspension, the IOC will not provide any help or programs to the North Korean committee.

The IOC said financial aid that was supposed to go to the North but was withheld due to international sanctions would be "definitively forfeited, given that the PRK NOC did not contribute to the success of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020." 

Should any North Korean competitors qualify for the Beijing Olympics, the IOC stated that the participation of any North Korean athletes would be decided accordingly in the future.