The United States has blocked a request by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to transfer sports equipment to North Korea so its athletes can prepare, qualify and participate in the Olympic Games, United Nations diplomats said on Thursday.
IOC President Thomas Bach asked the UN Security Council North Korea sanctions committee, in a July 3 letter, for an exemption to allow the transfer. The United States on Wednesday told the committee, which operates by consensus, it objected.
A US official declined to comment on confidential committee deliberations, but added: "We remain upbeat about the prospects of denuclearisation of North Korea, but it will take full enforcement of sanctions to get us there."
US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met for the first time in Singapore in June and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo followed up with inconclusive talks with North Korea this month.
After briefing Security Council envoys last week, Pompeo and US Ambassador Nikki Haley warned against loosening sanctions on Pyongyang after Russia and China suggested the council could discuss such a move.
The IOC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the US objection to transferring sports equipment. Tokyo will host the next Summer Olympics in 2020.
The UN Security Council has unanimously boosted sanctions on North Korea since 2006 in a bid to choke off funding for Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The council has banned luxury goods, a somewhat grey area although it has said that this includes recreational sports equipment.
Bach said in May that the IOC, at the request of North and South Korea, would support peace talks on the Korean peninsula with sports initiatives.
The countries marched under a unified flag at the opening and closing ceremonies of February's Winter Olympics in South Korea's Pyeongchang as tense relations between the countries started to thaw. Bach then visited North Korea in March and met Kim.
Philippines pull out of Asian Games basketball after brawl
The Philippines have withdrawn from the basketball tournament at the Asian Games with its governing body saying it needed to focus on its appeal against punishment levied on it for the on-court brawl during a World Cup qualifier this month.
Thirteen players from the Australia and Philippines teams, as well as two Filipino coaches, were suspended for their role in the fight during the game in Bulacan on July 2, which was abandoned when the hosts had only one player left on court.
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) also fined the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), which runs basketball in the country, 250,000 Swiss francs ($250,000).
The SBP said in a statement that the national team and governing body needed time to "regroup" and prepare for the process of appealing the FIBA decision.
"We have reached the conclusion that, with the forgoing considered and after consulting with the basketball community, the time and chance to participate in the 2018 Asian Games would not be optimal," it continued.
"We apologize to the Asian Games organizers, to the fans of the Philippine team, and to the Asian basketball community for this withdrawal."
The Philippines, Asian Games bronze medallists in 1998, had been seeded seventh for the 15-team tournament and were drawn in Group B along with Iran, Syria and the United Arab Emirates.
The basketball competition at the Asian Games takes place from August 19 to September 1 in Jakarta.
Murray, Azarenka handed wild cards for Cincinnati Open
Former world number ones Andy Murray and Victoria Azarenka have been handed wild cards to compete at the Cincinnati Open next month, the tournament's organisers have said.
Murray pulled out of this year's Wimbledon saying his right hip was still not ready for the demands of a Grand Slam. That was after the Scot made a comeback in June at Queen's Club following almost a year out with the injury that required surgery in Australia in January.
Two-times Grand Slam winner Azarenka, who won the Cincinnati Open in 2013, will return to the women's draw for the first time since 2016 as she continues her comeback following a prolonged legal battle over the custody of her son Leo last year.
"The resumes for Vika and Andy really speak for themselves," tournament Director Andre Silva told the organisers' website.
"I think many tennis fans are eager to see each of them back on the court, and we are pleased to offer them both wild cards to play the Western & Southern Open."
A further seven players - three men and four women - will be handed wild cards for the tournament, which begins on Aug. 11, around two weeks before the U.S. open starts on Aug. 27.