TOKYO — First lady Jill Biden will travel to Tokyo, Japan, to attend the opening ceremony of the 2021 Olympic Games, the White House announced Tuesday.
However, Dr. Biden will attend the July 23 ceremony without her husband.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in late June that President Joe Biden is not planning to attend the games, but he will send a delegation from the U.S.
“But we will continue to also convey the public health guidelines and guidance that we've been – we've been delivering out there about only essential travel,” Psaki said.
Like the rest of the games, the opening ceremony for the Summer Olympics will be held with no spectators due to the state of emergency that’s been declared in Tokyo because of a spike in coronavirus cases.
Dr. Biden is set to lead the U.S. delegation in Tokyo, but it won’t be her first time in the role. She and her husband led the delegation for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in 2010, when Biden was serving as vice president under former President Barack Obama.
