Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden takes the stage to address supporters with his wife Dr. Jill Biden during his caucus night watch party on February 03, 2020 in Des Moines, Iowa. Iowa is the first contest in the 2020 presidential nominating process with the candidates then moving on to New Hampshire. (AFP/Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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irst lady Jill Biden will travel to Japan to attend the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics on July 23, the White House announced Tuesday, making it the first time since 2012 that the wife of a US president will lead the US delegation to such events.
President Joe Biden had acknowledged late last month that arrangements were under way for Jill Biden to travel to Japan for the global sporting event amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Last week, however, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the US government was still "assessing the feasibility" of the trip. Her remarks came after the Japanese government decided to put Tokyo under another state of emergency until Aug. 22, amid rising concern the games could trigger a further surge in infections.
The Tokyo Olympics were postponed last year for 12 months due to the pandemic.
Read also: IOC chief Bach floats possibility of no fans at Tokyo Games
At the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, then US Vice President Mike Pence attended the opening event. At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, then Secretary of State John Kerry led the US delegation to the opening ceremony.
As for the 2012 games in London, then first lady Michelle Obama represented the US delegation.
Meanwhile, the head of the International Olympic Committee said Tuesday canceling the Tokyo Olympics was not an option, despite the coronavirus pandemic, and going ahead with the games this summer was decided in the interest of athletes preparing for the games for many years.
While Tokyo has been under state of emergency again due to surging infections, Thomas Bach told Kyodo News in an online interview that he will "not speculate" on what could happen if the COVID-19 situation drastically worsens during the Olympics, which will run from July 23 to Aug. 8.
"We, the IOC, will never abandon the athletes, and with the cancellation, we would have lost a whole generation of athletes. So therefore, a cancellation for us was not really an option," Bach said when referring to the decision in March last year to push back the games due to the global health crisis.
Without disclosing specifics, the IOC president, who arrived in Tokyo on Thursday, said the event at the National Stadium will be "very emotional" because it will be the first time since the pandemic that "you will see the whole world in one place."
He said it will send a "strong message of unity and of solidarity during these difficult times from Japan to the entire world."
The 67-year-old also said he has supported the decision last week to bar spectators from almost all Olympic venues with a "heavy heart" as "the foremost principle is the safety and security for everybody."
Stressing that "rigid anti-COVID measures" have been put in place and athletes from overseas will be separated from the Japanese public, he said people in Japan do not have to be afraid of the possibility of the Olympics endangering their health.
However, public support for the Olympics remains low in the country, where many people are worried that the games could trigger a further surge in infections driven by the more contagious Delta variant.
"We would have liked all sports fans in the world, full stadia and we would have liked for the athletes to have all the encouragement that only live spectators can offer," he said.
Read also: No spectators at Tokyo Olympics possible under COVID emergency: Suga
Asked when excitement will build up in the host country, Bach said, "When the Olympic flame will shine brightly over Tokyo."
"It's normal and we know this from previous Olympic Games," he said. "Then the sport starts and the athletes shine on the Olympic stage."
He said he is hoping to visit the cities of Sapporo and Fukushima, where Olympic venues are located, during his time in Japan.
