Finnish President Tarja Halonen will attend the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games scheduled for Aug. 24, said the presidential office on Tuesday.

She will fly to China on Aug. 16, Ella Nevalainen, spokeswoman for the presidential office, told the Finnish News Agency.

Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen said earlier he will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games slated for Aug. 8.

The president and the prime minister made the decision on their Beijing tours last year, Nevalainen said.

The Beijing event "is not one of those political acts," the spokeswoman said. "It is a sports event."

(Xinhua News Agency July 16, 2008)