US Olympic Committee surprised by White House comments on Winter Games

The head of the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) said Friday that the committee’s leadership was caught off guard by comments from Trump administration officials suggesting that the U.S. may not send athletes to the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.

But CEO Scott Blackmun attributed the surprise to a miscommunication and said that the USOC planned to send athletes to the Pyeongchang Games “unless it’s legally or physically impossible,” according to The Associated Press.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders quickly walked back her comments after she suggested during a press briefing on Thursday that “no official decision has been made” regarding whether the U.S. would send athletes to the games.

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“The U.S. looks forward to participating in the Winter Olympics in South Korea. The protection of Americans is our top priority and we are engaged with the South Koreans and other partner nations to secure the venues,” she wrote on Twitter shortly after the briefing.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley had also said on Wednesday that whether the U.S. would participate in the Winter Games is still an “open question” because of rising tensions with North Korea.

The U.S. Mission to the U.N. issued a statement later saying that the U.S. looked forward to participating in the event and was working with South Korea to secure the venues for the games.

“The United States looks forward to participating in the Winter Olympics in South Korea next year. As always, the protection of American citizens overseas is our most important priority,” it said.

The Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang are set to begin Feb. 9.