LIMA, Peru (AP) - The president of the International Olympic Committee said Friday he remains confident the Winter Games will go on as scheduled in South Korea despite growing tensions on the peninsula, including North Korea’s ballistic missile test this week.
At the close of this week’s IOC meetings, Thomas Bach said the committee will continue to appeal for diplomatic solutions to the problems. The IOC is monitoring deliberations in the U.N. Security Council, which on Friday condemned the North Korean test.
“We see the deliberations of the U.N. Security Council, which are about diplomacy and diplomatic measures and sanctions to resolve this situation,” Bach said. “So, our position remains unchanged.”
The Olympics are scheduled for Feb. 8-25 in Pyeongchang.
North Korea’s IOC member, Ung Chang, said he hopes the Olympics will go on as planned. When asked if South Korea will be safe for the Olympics, he responded: “Nobody knows.”
Bach will visit the U.N. next week, but will be working on the traditional Olympic Truce declaration. He said the IOC has no plans to be involved in diplomacy over the Korean crisis.
“We will carefully observe,” Bach said. “We are not getting involved in this.”
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