North Korea has had one of the most competitive and successful women’s soccer teams for decades, winning the Asian Football Confederation’s Women’s Asian Cup three times and the Asian Games another three times.

Yet the team, which also reached the quarterfinals of the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup, will be a conspicuous no-show as the Tokyo Olympics kick off today, and experts say the team’s absence represents a missed opportunity to engage with North Korea following the incredible diplomatic success of the 2018 Winter Games.