Bidens to host Team USA at the White House Wednesday

The White House announced Monday that President Biden will host members of Team USA for a celebration on the South Lawn this coming Wednesday to recognize their feats in the 2020 Tokyo and 2022 Beijing Olympic Games.  

“The President and the First Lady will welcome Team USA to the White House to celebrate their participation and success in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games and Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games,” the White House said in an announcement.  

Wednesday’s event will be the first time during the president’s term that the Bidens have welcomed Olympic athletes to the White House.  

The Tokyo Games were delayed one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and took place last summer, largely without spectators. First lady Jill Biden led the U.S. delegation to the games in Tokyo, marking her first solo trip abroad as first lady.  

The Beijing Olympics took place this past winter. The U.S. staged a diplomatic boycott of the games in China due to human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.  

The easing of the omicron coronavirus variant has brought the return of large events to the White House, where Biden and other officials have held several big gatherings in recent months.  

The event with the Olympic athletes will take place outside. Vice President Harris, who recently recovered from COVID-19, is expected to attend along with her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff. It’s unclear precisely how many guests will attend. 

Other U.S. sport teams that have won national titles, such as the National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay Lightning, have met with Biden at the White House.