Olympic leader confident Games will go on in South Korea

Posted September 16, 2017 7:00 am

By EDDIE PELLS

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach speaks during the opening IOC session in Lima, Peru, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017. The IOC will vote to ratify Los Angeles as the host city of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Paris as the host city of the 2024 Games. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia) The Associated Press

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."

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo embraces International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach at the end an IOC session in Lima, Peru, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017. The IOC is voting to ratify Los Angeles as the host city of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Paris as the host city of the 2024 Games. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia) The Associated Press

FILE - In this March 2, 2016, file photo, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach, of Germany, left, speaks with IOC member Anita DeFrantz, of the United States, right, at an IOC executive board meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland. DeFrantz, a bronze medalist in rowing at the 1976 Olympic, has won her second term as vice president of the International Olympic Committee on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017. (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone via AP, File) The Associated Press

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