U.S. has not ruled out Winter Olympics participation

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters that "no official decision has been made" about whether the U.S. will participate in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

In an interview with Fox News Channel on Wednesday, U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley had cast doubt on the country's participation, given the tensions on the Korean Peninsula, reports Xinhua news agency.

"There's an open question," said Haley. "I have not heard anything about that. But I do know that in the talks that we have...it's always about, how do we protect the U.S. citizens in the area."

The U.S. Olympic Committee responded on Thursday, saying plans to compete in the Olympics hadn't changed.

Shortly after that, White House spokeswoman Sanders said "no official decision has been made," and later said on Twitter that "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," read Sanders' tweet.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert expressed "confidence" of secured Winter Games in a press briefing.

"We have a long standing and successful relationship with the Republic of Korea, we are confident that the government's commitment to hosting a safe and successful winter games will take place," Nauert said.

--IANS

sam/bg