First lady arrives in London, calls games 'awe-inspiring'
- By Matt Vasilogambros
- National Journal
- July 27, 2012
- Comments
First Lady Michelle Obama called the experience “humbling.”
Darron Cummings/AP
Obama is to lead the official U.S. delegation to the Games, which includes former athletes Grant Hill and Summer Sanders. She and several athletes, even including Britain’s own David Beckham, will host events across London promoting children’s health. The experience, she said, would be “truly amazing.”
“To go from never attending an Olympics to heading the U.S. delegation, it will be a proud moment for me personally,” she said on NBC’s Today.
Growing up with a father with M.S. and who loved sports, she said, watching sports together meant a lot for her family.
“I don't think I'm different from any other kid in the country growing up, but the Olympics were it. We all gathered around the TV,” she said. “Now being able to meet some of these Paralympians, pushing through and being inspiring to other kids of all abilities, it's truly an amazing thing to see.”
Obama said she is going to attend some tennis, swimming and basketball competitions, along with the Opening Ceremonies on Friday night, and joked that the president “is so jealous of me right now. He’s is so jealous.”
She wouldn’t, however, get into predictions or picking her favorite American swimmer, concluding, “Go Team USA.”
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