White House "Evaluating Possibility of First Lady Attending Tokyo Olympics"

No Mention of Inability to Attend Despite Decision for Tokyo Olympics to Be Held Without Spectators
"Athlete Delegation Advance Team to Head to Tokyo This Week"

First Lady of the United States Jill Biden [Photo by AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] With the decision to hold the Tokyo Olympics without spectators, the calculations in the United States have become complicated. This is because the attendance of First Lady Jill Biden is at stake.

Michael LaRosa, spokesperson for the First Lady, stated on the 8th (local time), "We are still evaluating the possibility of the First Lady attending the Tokyo Olympics. The U.S. Olympic delegation will arrive in Japan this week."

It has been reported that Jill Biden will visit Japan as part of the U.S. Olympic delegation and attend the opening ceremony. President Biden mentioned to reporters last week that the First Lady is preparing to attend the Tokyo Olympic opening ceremony.

LaRosa's remarks suggest that although the decision to hold the Tokyo Olympics without spectators has made it difficult for the First Lady to attend the opening ceremony, plans to visit Japan are still being pursued. However, a final decision does not seem to be easily made.

White House spokesperson Jen Psaki also said at the daily briefing that "President Biden supports the hosting of the Tokyo Olympics and is proud that U.S. athletes are competing under the Olympic spirit."

She added, "The U.S. government is working closely with the Japanese government regarding public health issues related to the Olympic hosting."

On the same day, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in an interview with CNN that there is no problem with the First Lady attending the Tokyo Olympics. He stated, "Strict measures will be taken to maintain the First Lady's health, so I am not worried. The decision to attend is up to the First Lady."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.