WASHINGTON—US First Lady Michelle Obama Tuesday announced she would lead the US delegation to the London Olympics, as she celebrated the Games with Samantha Cameron, wife of the British prime minister.
Michelle Obama. AFP FILE PHOTO
Obama will travel to London for opening ceremonies for the Games which begin on July 27, and tie the event into her “Let’s Move!” campaign, designed to inspire young people to lead active lives and adopt healthy diets.
“In the months ahead, I’ll be talking to Americans all across the country to encourage even more young people to tap into that Olympic spirit and turn their inspiration into action,” Obama said.
“As the Olympic creed states, ‘the most important thing is not to win, but to take part and that doesn’t just mean sitting and watching, it means getting up and getting active as well.”
The White House said it would announce the full delegation in the coming months.
It has been traditional during recent presidencies for first ladies to lead the presidential delegation to the Olympics.
Former first lady Laura Bush traveled to the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy and Hillary Clinton went to the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, while her husband Bill was president.
Obama welcomed Samantha Cameron to the event to mark the London Olympics as President Barack Obama took the British Prime Minister David Cameron to a college basketball game in Ohio.
The couples will be back together on Wednesday night for a state dinner at the White House.