Haley: No Longer ‘Open question’ if U.S. Athletes will Attend South Korea Winter Olympics

UPDATE: December 12, 2017: After saying it was an "open question" whether the U.S. would attend the Winter Olympics in South Korea, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has confirmed the question is now closed.

"Yes, we are," Haley told Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday when asked whether the the stars-and-stripes would make an appearance at this year's games. There had been concerns that the location of the Winter Olympics - Pyeongchang - was only 50 miles from North Korea.

But on Sunday, Haley said:

"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."

Countable's original story appears below.

What’s the story?

On Wednesday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said it’s still an "open question" as to whether the stars-and-stripes will be represented at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Haley cited escalating tensions with North Korea, which is roughly 50 miles from the site of this year’s Olympics, for the open-questionedness.

Why does it matter?

In an interview with Fox News, Haley said U.S. officials are "taking every precaution possible to make sure [the athletes] are safe, and to know everything that’s going on around them."

A day later, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders echoed Haley’s remarks, saying "no official decision has been made" about the U.S. participating in the Olympics. Asked if the reason was security concerns, Sanders said, “absolutely.”

Moments later, however, Sanders tweeted:

UPDATE: 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.

— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) December 7, 2017

What do you think?

Should the question remain open? Or should the U.S. look forward to participating in this year’s Winter Olympics? Hit Take Action and tell your reps, then share your thoughts below.

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—Josh Herman

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(Image courtesy PyeongChang2018 and International Olympic Committee)