Global anti-doping authorities have fined Asia’s Olympic body $500,000 for allowing North Korea to use its flag at the recent Asian Games in violation of an ongoing ban.

In a two-day meeting in Montreal that concluded Friday, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) ruled the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) was “noncompliant” with a previous directive mandating that North Korea’s flag should not be flown at major international sporting events, with the exception of the Olympics and Paralympics.

The directive followed WADA’s decision to deem North Korea noncompliant with anti-doping regulations in Oct. 2021 as COVID-19 border closuresprevented travel to