It must be tough to be a North Korean athlete at the Olympics. The hermit kingdom keeps a very close eye on their sportsmen and women in London, making sure none of them defect.

We know that North Korea is one of the most closed states in the entire world, foreign media is blocked and official media rarely offer a fair or detailed view of the outside world. It’s also a country where few travel overseas — and those who do are under the watchful eye of official minders.

Despite this, North Koreans have been regularly attending the Olympics since 1972, with the belief that they will win every single medal because they are the greatest nation on the planet. Though they have struggled in their quest for Olympic domination, the games mean a lot to the athletes (take, for example the picture above of Kim Un Guk when he set a record for weightlifting the other day) and to the North Korean public back home, judging by the coverage from North Korea’s state news agencies.

But life for a North Korean athlete at the games differs from those of other nations. Whereas other competitors are issued with 15 condoms each in the olympic village, the North Koreans do not get any. Members of the North Korean women’s soccer team are not even allowed to give interviews to reporters, and the responses from their coaches are bland to the point of insult. Some North Korean athletes haven’t bothered to show up to ceremonies where they would be awarded a medal.

The reason for this is, we assume, is to stop them from doing a runner and not returning to Kim Jong-un’s kingdom. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, athletes were reportedly not allowed out of their Olympic compound except for training or events. The Oregonian spoke to some from the North Korea camp and found athletes were not allowed to mingle with other competitors, and sight-seeing and other cultural events were strictly banned.

If North Korean olympians succeed, then the hope for a better life at home – where a third of the 24 million population are poor and hungry – is far greater with a good chance of being offered the coveted membership of the Workers Party of Korea. Gold medallists are hoping their triumphs will please one man in particular – new leader Kim Jong-un. Judoka An Kum-ae told reporters in London after winning gold:

As an athlete I believe by winning the gold medal I was able to glorify my nation and give support to the people of my nation, so I am really happy, I believe I gave some happiness and joy to our leader, Kim Jong-un.

It’s not just a lack of fun and games at the Olympics that the North Koreans have to worry about, but also the threat of retribution by the state if they fail to succeed. Reuters reports that North Korean defector Lee Chang-soo said that the difference between winning and losing an international competition could even be a matter of life and death. Lee was a bronze medal winner at the 1989 World Judo Championships, Lee’s life was turned upside down when he lost to a South Korean in the final of the 1990 Beijing Asian Games. He was sent to a coal mine for his loss.

Well, we know that there is someone who knows just how you North Korean athletes feel:

[Source: Reuters, Business Insider]