Tokyo Olympics: US first lady Jill Biden to attend opening ceremony

The White House said Jill Biden would be at the ceremony on July 23 without US President Joe Biden in her first solo trip abroad as first lady

The last time she attended the Games was in 2010, when she and her husband led the US delegation to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada

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US President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden pictured earlier this month. Photo: AFP

Published: 8:56pm, 13 Jul 2021Updated: 9:06pm, 13 Jul 2021

US first lady Jill Biden will attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, the White House announced on 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. It will be her first solo trip abroad as first lady.

The last time she attended the Games was in 2010, when she and her husband led the US delegation to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.

Dancers perform on the last day of the 2010 Winter Olympics. When Jill Biden last attended the Games, Vancouver was host city. Photo: AFP

This year’s Games will be held with no fans in the stands, after a state of emergency was declared in Tokyo.

A key US ally, Japan had made rapid progress in vaccinating its population against Covid-19, but the drive has lost momentum because of supply shortages.