Jun 13, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Biden reaffirms support for Summer Olympics

Yacob Reyes

Protesters march in front of the metropolitan government building during a demonstration against the forthcoming Tokyo Olympic Games — Protesters march in front of a government building during a demonstration against the Tokyo Olympics. Photo: Yuichi Yamazaki/Getty Images

President Biden reaffirmed his support for the Summer Olympics in Tokyo during a meeting this weekend with Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide at the G7 summit.

State of play: The games are scheduled to run from July 23 to August 8 and come as Japan navigates recent spikes in coronavirus cases.

The State Department issued a "Do Not Travel" warning last month — with the highest cautionary level the department puts out.

The Tokyo Medical Practitioners Association, a group of around 6,000 doctors, had previously written a letter calling for Japan to cancel the Olympics.

A few weeks ago, Japan extended a state of emergency in the country through at least June 20 in response to the influx of cases.

What they're saying: The U.S. president expressed "support for the Tokyo Olympic Games moving forward with all public health measures necessary to protect athletes, staff and spectators," per a White House readout of Biden's conversation with Suga.

“President Biden expressed pride in the U.S. athletes who have trained for the Tokyo Games and will be competing in the best traditions of the Olympic spirit."

Go deeper: Japan extends coronavirus state of emergency weeks before Olympics.

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Biden reaffirms support for Summer Olympics

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