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

Finnish President Tarja Halonen speaks during a news conference after a meeting with Aceh's governor Irwandi Yusuf in Banda Aceh February 19, 2008. [Agencies]

She will fly to China on August 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 August 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."