The world is gearing up for a summer of sports at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but while North Korea is aiming for gold in a number of disciplines, it looks set to be a notable absentee from the upcoming Paralympic Games.

This would mark a setback for the country’s disabled athletes, who first competed at the Paralympics only a decade ago, and it is particularly disappointing for Sue Kinsler, a 78-year-old missionary nicknamed the “godmother of North Korean disabled athletes” for her work in a country where persons with disabilities are often deprived of opportunities.