Biggest story of the Olympics?

North and South Korean Olympic athletes marched together
under this single flag depicting the whole Korean peninsula.

A member of the "Axis of Evil" marching with its sworn enemy at the 2004 Athens Olympics? What's happened? Did North Korea cancel its "evildoer" membership, or did South Korea join the rogue nation club? Somebody better tell President Bush's speechwriters.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — In a show of reconciliation between two old foes, the South and North Korean Olympic teams will march together again at the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics.

The two teams will enter the Olympic Stadium on Friday under the same flag — a blue image of the Korean Peninsula on a white background — and to the tune of the Korean folk song Arirang, South Korea's Olympic committee said.

The official name of the teams during the march will be "Korea," although the North and South will compete separately for medals.

Read about the 2004 Athens Olympics march. [USA Today, 8.10.04]

What seems like the biggest story of the Olympics is actually old news, because the the North and South Koreans marched together, and competed separately, at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. That news escaped us as well, especially those darned speechwriters.

Read about the 2000 Sydney Olympics march. [BBC News, 9.10.00]

[Thanks to Mark of Marina del Rey.]