The White House will send a delegation to the upcoming 2022 World Cup in Qatar, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Wednesday.
The international sporting event has faced heavy scrutiny for the human rights allegations levied against the host country. Jean-Pierre was asked if the White House planned on making a statement about the alleged migrant abuses committed by Qatar by not sending a delegation.
“This is an important event, and we’re going to be cheering on the team, Team USA. It is not an unusual thing for us to do when there is an event like this,” the press secretary said, per Fox News.
While the United States will be sending a delegation, the White House insists that the Biden Administration condemns all human rights violations.
“[President Biden] will always and will continue to call out any human rights abuses. That is something that he never shies away from, whether it is leader-to-leader or whether it is speaking about it outright. And so that will be something that he will continue to do,” Jean-Pierre added.
The U.S. will play its first group game against Wales on Monday, November 21.
“This event is about our Team USA is about, again, a special event, and we’re going to cheer them on,” Jean-Pierre concluded.