First Lady Jill Biden joins French President Macron and VIPs at Élysée Palace before Paris 2024 Olympics

Macron and Brigitte welcome VIPs including Jill Biden at Élysée Palace before the Olympic opening ceremony on the River Seine

(NBC NEWS)- French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, hosted a reception today at the Élysée Presidential Palace. The event welcomed First Lady Jill Biden, along with over a hundred distinguished guests, including royalty, heads of state, and government officials. This gathering comes just hours before the much-anticipated opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Jill Biden traveled to Paris without President Biden after he announced his withdrawal from the 2024 re-election race and began recovering from COVID-19. The Olympic opening ceremony will be a historic spectacle, featuring a grand parade of barges carrying nearly 7,000 athletes along the River Seine. Spectators, numbering over 300,000, will line the riverbanks to witness this extraordinary event.

The Paris 2024 Olympics, marking a century since Paris last hosted the Games, will see more than 10,500 athletes competing for glory. The first of 329 gold medals will be awarded on Saturday, setting the stage for a thrilling fortnight of international sports competition.