North Korea will send 22 athletes to next month's Winter Games in the South, the International Olympic Committee said on Saturday, and confirmed that the two nations will march together at the opening ceremony. The IOC has further approved a plan for North and South to field a unified women's hockey team, Olympic Chief Thomas Bach told reporters following a meeting in Lausanne with sport and government officials from the two countries.The announcement from Bach marked the approval of a landmark deal between the two Koreas that has eased tensions building for months.The 22 athletes will compete in three sports and a total of five disciplines, including figure skating, short-track speed skating, cross-country skiing and Alpine skiing, in addition to hockey. North Korea will also send 24 officials and 21 media representatives to the Games in Pyeongchang, which start on February 9.At the opening ceremony, the joint delegation will be led into the Olympic stadium under the Korean unification flag carried together by athletes from each country, the IOC said. The North's decision to compete in Pyeongchang — just 80 kilometres south of the demilitarized zone that divides the Koreas — is a historic diplomatic move, especially after months that saw nuclear and missile tensions surge to new heights.