Samsung phones and sanctions in PyeongChang

Samsung Electronics is a leading worldwide sponsor of the Olympic games and, as described in this 2014 post about the Sochi Winter Olympics, they regularly provide members of the Olympic family with complimentary late-model smart devices.  In the case of the 2018 Winter Olympics, just getting underway in PyeongChang, the provision of special Olympic Edition Galaxy Note 8 devices to athletes from North Korea and Iran raised an issue on the grounds that this might violate United Nations sanctions against these countries.   The Washington Post published an article explaining the issue and how it was dealt with by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).