Home Ethics Politics Will the U.S. Send an Olympic Team to Korea?

Will the U.S. Send an Olympic Team to Korea?

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Will the U.S. Send an Olympic Team to Korea?
Team USA marches in the parade of athletes around BC Place stadium during the Opening Ceremony of the XXI Olympic Winter Games, Feb. 12, 2010, in Vancouver. Photo: Tim Hipps via Wikimedia Commons

The United States has an incoherent foreign policy at the moment and that trickles down into the sports world. The United States Ambassador to the United Nations is unsure whether the Trump Administration will allow the American Olympic Team to compete in the 2018 South Korea Olympics which is less than two months away.

A week ago, Ambassador Nikki Haley said it was an opening question that an American delegation would show up given that the bulk of the 2018 Olympics competition will take place some 50 miles away from the North Korea-South Korea demilitarized zone amid rising tensions between the US and North Korea. But Haley backtracked and said the US would send a full squad to South Korea.

Haley told Chris Wallace on FOX News Sunday, “If you look back, we have always talked about security in the Olympics. We have always talked about keeping our athletes safe. This is no different, and we are looking at the circumstances just to make sure we’re doing everything we can. We’re at the locations, we’re starting to secure the process, but we always look out for the best interests of United States citizens.”

The United States has a sizeable military presence in South Korea. So it seems American athletes will be able to go for the gold although America’s best hockey players along with the best players from other hockey playing countries won’t be there if they are on National Hockey League teams. The NHL said no to the Olympics.

Meanwhile, a deal has been approved by Russian officials to allow clean Russian athletes to enter the South Korea games. The Russian team was kicked out of the South Korea event because of an extensive doping scheme but individual athletes will be at the Games under the title of Olympic Athletes from Russia and should any of them win a gold medal, the Olympic anthem will be played. The Russians are coming.

By Evan Weiner For The Politics Of Sports Business

This article was republished with permission from the original publisher, Evan Weiner.

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