First lady Jill Biden will attend the opening ceremony of the summer Olympics in Tokyo the White House announced Tuesday, even as the city has entered a new state of emergency over a rise in coronavirus cases.
Biden will attend the opening ceremony on July 23 without President Joe Biden The last time she attended the games was in 2010, when she and her husband led the U.S. delegation to the Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada.
This year's games will be held with no fans in the stands, after a state of emergency was declared in Tokyo.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters previously that a team had been sent to Tokyo to assess the feasibility of Jill Biden's visit. Last week, she said that despite the increase in coronavirus cases, the president still supports U.S. athletes traveling there for the competition.
“We’re well aware of the careful preparations, including the public health measures necessary to protect athletes, staff, and spectators, that the government and international committee has undertaken, which is why, as we said, we support the Games moving forward,” Psaki said.
