Juan Antonio Samaranch, president of the International...

Juan Antonio Samaranch, president of the International Olympic Committee, said the 1988 Olympic Games will be held in Seoul, South Korea, or “there will be no Games at all.”

Samaranch, who made the announcement at the World University Games in Zagreb, Yugoslavia, made a similar statement earlier in the week to a London newspaper while commenting on the effect political strife in South Korea could have on the Games.

“The news coming from Seoul is very promising,” Samaranch said.

The return of comparative calm to South Korea also has apparently weakened North Korea’s negotiating position for next week’s fourth round of talks on the sharing of the 1988 Summer Olympics.