Efforts by the two Koreas to form a joint team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics are gaining momentum with the backing of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Officials from the two Korea’s Olympic committees held a three-way meeting with IOC President Jacque Rogge at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland Wednesday and reaffirmed efforts to create a unified team.

During the meeting, the IOC pledged support on resolving differences between the two Koreas over the size of the squad and the method of selecting athletes. Pyongyang wants equal distribution of athletes from the North and South while Seoul says selection should be based on merit.

The IOC also said it will seek to increase the number of athletes for specific sports events if requested by the Koreas, adding that a final decision on the matter will be announced after consultations with international sports federations.

North and South Korea have marched together at the Olympics in the past - most recently at this year's Winter Games in Turin - but competed as separate teams.

The two Koreas previously fielded unified teams for the World Table Tennis Championships and an international youth soccer competition, both in 1991. They also marched together in the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2004 Athens Olympics.