American hurdler Greg Foster said if the...

American hurdler Greg Foster said if the Olympic Games were held tomorrow, “99%” of the U.S. athletes would stay home, but British middle distance runner Sebastian Coe said that athletes from other countries will go simply because it is the Olympics.

Seoul, South Korea, the site of the 1988 Games, has been beset by student rioters demanding change in that country’s political system. The International Olympic Committee has continued its support for the selection of Seoul as host city and also said it is not considering alternate sites.

“It’s too early now to really make a big a decision about whether or not we should go, but if it was tomorrow I think about 99% of the (U.S.) athletes would stay home,” Foster said in an interview Saturday that was broadcast Monday night on ABC’s “Sportsnight.”

“The history of the Olympic movement is littered with political problems,” said Coe, the world record-holder in the 800 and 1,000 meters. “These are not just contemporary problems. I cannot endorse the feelings among American athletes who wouldn’t want to go there under these circumstances.”