Mărăcineanu, a former swimmer who was an Olympic silver medallist in the 200 metres backstroke at Sydney 2000, presence at the Games was mooted last month, when French Government officials confirmed they would not join a diplomatic boycott of Beijing 2022.

Clément Beaune, Secretary of State for European Affairs, confirmed Mărăcineanu will travel to the Chinese capital but is unlikely to attend the Opening Ceremony on Friday (February 4).

"There will be a presence of the Minister Delegate for Sports, Roxana Maracineanu, probably not at the Opening Ceremony, but to support our athletes at some point during these Olympics," Beaune told French radio station RTL.

"Most European countries have the same strategy of having zero or reasonable attendance, i.e. not at the level of Head of State or Government, at the Opening Ceremony.

"Probably for us, it will be later that the Minister Delegate for Sports will go there."

The role of the 46-year-old Mărăcineanu is expected to assume greater significance over the next few months as France moves into the next phase of its preparations to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.

Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet will not make the trip to Beijing 2022, following a positive COVID-19 test.

Estanguet had initially been expected to attend the first part of the Winter Olympics.

The presence of a French Government official at the Games will come despite the Fresh National Assembly adopting a resolution on January 20, which denounced a "genocide" of Uyghur Muslims in China.

The resolution "officially recognises the violence perpetrated by the authorities of the People's Republic of China against the Uyghurs as constituting crimes against humanity and genocide".

The document called for an "end to the genocidal, concentration camp and repressive policies put in place by the People's Republic of China".

Support for the Uyghur people and other Turkic minorities was offered in the resolution, with the French Government invited to protect Uyghur nationals on French soil, as well as calling on the Government to "adopt the necessary measures with the international community and in its foreign policy" to end the crimes.

France has elected not to join a diplomatic boycott of the Games despite the motion, with the Elysee Palace promising last month that it would "coordinate at a European level".

The French Government added it had sanctioned China regarding human rights concerns in Xinjiang in March.

The United States was among the first nations to declare it would stage a diplomatic boycott of Beijing 2022, citing concerns over China’s human rights records.

Nations including Australia, Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania and New Zealand have also opted not to send Government officials to the Games.

Athletes from the nations are still due to compete at Beijing 2022.

French President Emmanuel Macron has labelled the diplomatic boycott as "insignificant".

China has faced accusations of using forced Uyghur labour, operating a mass surveillance programme, detaining thousands in internment camps, carrying out forced sterilisations and intentionally destroying Uyghur heritage in the Xinjiang region.

The Chinese Government has repeatedly hit out at the claims.

Beijing has claimed camps are training centres for stamping out Islamist extremism and separatism.