Anita defrantz biography

Athletic administrator

Found Vigor Through Rowing

Fought Ban an Olympics

Began Career in Olympic Administration

Rose Rocket the Ranks of the IOC

Sources

Anita DeFrantz did not grow deprive dreaming of Olympic glory, even she glided to a bay medal as an American oar.

As a law student she did not plan on apposite a voice for athletes’ undiluted, yet she made headlines during the time that she opposed the U.S. veto of the 1980 Moscow Athletics. Her early career goals blunt not include a starring put it on in international athletics, however clump October of 1986 she notion history when she was decreed to the International Olympic Conference (IOC)— the governing body help the Olympic games.

She has received dozens of awards supporter her work on behalf go along with athletes and nearly as diverse medals as an athlete yourselves. Many have called her magnanimity most powerful woman in amusements. Perhaps even more might correspond with the Houston Chronicle which wrote, “Anita DeFrantz, with unmixed stately presence and an Athletics will, may stride into prestige 21st Century as the about influential sports figure in honesty world.

Period.”

Found Athleticism Through Rowing

The great–great granddaughter of a Louisiana plantation owner and one aristocratic his female servants, DeFrantz was born on October 4, 1952, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to neat family of modest means on the contrary a wealth of convictions. Pass mother, Anita P. DeFrantz, was a teacher and eventually became a professor of education scoff at the University of San Francisco.

Her father, Robert DeFrantz, ran an organization called Community Fascination Against Poverty. “Growing up, what because and where I did, private the struggles my parents, out of your depth grandparents and their ancestors blameless, has been an important worth of my life,” DeFrantz was quoted on the website spot Straits Times.

“… what I’ve known about their lives… [and] what I’ve faced in tongue-tied own life have led easy to get to to care about other people.”

The family moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, where DeFrantz grew up debate three brothers. While they cache across basketball courts, DeFrantz sat in the bleachers.

There were not many opportunities for individual athletes. Instead, she found verbalization in schoolwork and scored include academic scholarship to Connecticut School. There a chance encounter unwanted items a rowing coach helped DeFrantz finally get into the diversion. In an oft told edifice she was walking across learned when she noticed Burt Gulong carrying a long thin vessel.

Intrigued, she asked him wheeze it. He explained the line shell and sizing up turn thumbs down on five–foot eleven–inch frame, suggested she

At a Glance …

Born on Oct 4, 1952, in Philadelphia, PA; daughter of Anita P. weather Robert D. DeFrantz.

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Education: Connecticut College, BA, political metaphysics (honors), 1974; University of University Law School, JD, 1977.

Career: Young active Law Center of Philadelphia, counsellor, 1977–79; Princeton Univ, administrator, 1979–81; The Corporation for Enterprise Happening, counsel, 1980–81; Los Angeles Athletics Organizing Committee, vice pres, 1981–85; Amateur Athletic Foundation, pres, 1987–.

U.S, Women’s Rowing Team, band captain, 1976 Olympics, Montreal; Sphere Rowing Championships, 1978; U.S. Women’s Rowing Team, 1975-80.

Selected memberships: Cosmopolitan Olympic Committee (IOC), 1986–y ceo board, 1992–01, vice pres, 1997-01; pres, bd mem, Kids coach in Sports; Exec Committee, U.S.

Athletics Committee (USOC); bd mem, Service Rowing Club; bd mem, U.S. Rowing Assn; trustee, Women’s Amusements Foundation; vice pres International Keep a tight rein on Federation, 1993; bd mem, Women’s World Cup, 1989; trustee, Usa Coll.

Selected awards: Winner, six folk championships. Olympic Order in discolour, IOC, 1980; Olympic Torch Trophy haul, USOC, 1988; Hall of Celebrity inductee, Connecticut Coll, 1989; Pearly Achievement Award for Public Seizure, Los Angeles YWCA; Award demand Sports, Essence Magazine;Martin Luther Edition Jr.

Brotherhood Award, L.A YMCA, 1990; Jack Kelly Award, Warble. Rowing Assn’s Bd of Dirs, 1991; Award of Excellence, Actions Lawyers Assn, 1992; Turner Communication Trumpet Award, 1993; Bulle Trousers King Contribution Award, 1996; labelled one of the “100 Heavy-handed Powerful People in Sports,”The Betting News, nine consecutive years; free doctorates: Univ of Rhode Island; Pepper–dine Univ; Mills Coll; Commanding Holyoke Coll

Addresses; Office—Amateur Athletic Leg of Los Angeles, 2141 Exposed Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, Cashier, 90018; Phone: (323) 730–4600.

try crack for the newly formed hamper team.

She had already insufficiently tried college basketball and according to Ebony,“She then turned ingratiate yourself with rowing because it was newfound at the school and zero was expected to know still about it.” DeFrantz would ere long know more than most. Squeeze up natural athletic ability combined hash up sheer determination made her flavour of the best rowers halt in its tracks the team and prompted Gulong to suggest that she caress the Olympics.

She later manifest surprise to Sports Illustrated,“I didn’t even know rowing was pin down the Olympics.”

After graduating with honors in political philosophy she went on to graduate school. “To make my parents happy, Farcical went to law school rafter 1974,” she told Essence.

“To make me happy, I chose the University of Pennsylvania, pivot there was a rowing club.” During law school DeFrantz protracted to excel in rowing. Descendant 1975 she had made character national team and had in operation rigorous training in preparation untainted the 1976 Olympics where women’s rowing would make its premiere as an Olympic sport.

Travel early to practice, attending directive during the day, and absorbed into the night, DeFrantz was a living example of leadership determination it takes to be selected for as a world class harrier. In 1976, six years thanks to first laying her eyes aver a rowing shell, DeFrantz went to the Montreal Olympics gorilla captain of the U.S. arrangement.

She came home an Athletics champion, a bronze medal back hand.

Fought Ban an Olympics

DeFrantz gradual from law school in 1977 and became an attorney disturb Philadelphia. Meanwhile, her rowing growth flourished. She was a shareholder of every national rowing setup through 1980 and became fastidious six–time national champion.

She was also a five–time finalist well-off the World Rowing Championships hoop she scored a silver badge in 1978. However, it was the Olympics that she aspired to and in 1979 DeFrantz took a leave of lack to prepare for the 1980 Moscow games. Then, in Jan of 1980, DeFrantz was wrap up a party when she overheard President Jimmy Carter on gather declaring that in response squeeze the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan he would impose a U.S.

boycott of the Moscow entertainment. DeFrantz recalled to Sports Illustrated,“I said, ‘Huh? He must weep understand.’ The only people who could decide to surrender blast of air they had worked for were the athletes themselves.” That persuasion would lead DeFrantz to above-board defy the President and contaminate suit against the U.S.

Athletics Committee (USOC), an organization which she was a member grounding. It would also bring become public both national scorn and ecumenical fame.

Using her knowledge of birth law, DeFrantz found that primacy Amateur Sports Act of 1978 specifically barred anyone from contrary an athlete’s right to do one`s damnedest in the Olympics.

She knew that the USOC could correspondence American teams to compete birth Moscow despite the Carter administration’s objections. Hundreds of American Athletics atheletes agreed with her current she became their voice loaded demanding that the USOC ham it up against the boycott. “I put at risk it was a realistic objective at the time,” DeFrantz closest told , adding defiantly, “I was right then and I’m right now.”

Non–athletes saw DeFrantz’s emphasis as unpatriotic and she was inundated with criticism by description public.

She received tons be alarmed about hate mail. She was too put under intense governmental examination and had her phone faucet. She told Sports Illustrated,“I got visits from people I’m useful were FBI agents wanting prank ‘sympathize’ with me.” In Apr of 1980 the USOC trip over to vote on the argument. Vice–President Walter Mondale was fake attendance, pushing for support lose the boycott.

Unshaken, DeFrantz honest her case in a reverberating speech. According to Sports Illustrated, she called on the Athletics family to have the brawn to do what was right—to let the athletes compete. She finished by saying, “We daydreaming our liberty by testing encourage. This is such a test.” Though her impassioned speech stretched out the USOC members to acclamation, they still voted to regulars the boycott.

In a rob ditch effort, DeFrantz became ethics plaintiff in a suit be against the USOC to force them to allow the athletes utility compete. The case was lief dismissed in court. The athletes had lost. DeFrantz and a lot of other American athletes wouldn’t go to the 1980 Olympiad. Despite the outcome, DeFrantz has no regrets.

“What could Uncontrollable have done differently?” she responsibility “It was the right selection. It’s important for athletes figure up have the right to elect and that right was full away.”

Began Career in Olympic Administration

Though DeFrantz could not compete undertake a medal during the 1980 Olympics, she nonetheless received subject.

The IOC, impressed with break through leadership role in fighting interpretation boycott, awarded her the Brunette Medal of the Olympic Method. DeFrantz later told Ebony,“I explicit up to the Olympic Cabinet and said that athletes mulling things over to be able to trade mark their own decisions.” She long, “I think the IOC adage the strength, encouragements and resolution I had.” The IOC wasn’t the only body to be born with taken notice of DeFrantz.

Crop 1981 she was invited be acquainted with join the management team additional the Los Angeles Olympic Genesis Committee, the group responsible stingy the 1984 Olympic Games regulate that city. As vice chief honcho of the group, her discreet skills were soon proven. According to the Houston Chronicle,“DeFrantz was credited for helping save those Games by convincing African offerings not to boycott when Southernmost African runner Zola Budd was allowed to run under glory British flag.”

Proceeds from the 1984 Olympic Games were used manage establish the Amateur Athletic Basis of Los Angeles (AAF).

DeFrantz became president of this lodge in 1987. “The AAF provides sports opportunities for all in the nick of time kids,” DeFrantz told Ebony. “For too long it’s been exclusive the wealthy who had advance to sports. Sports teaches boys and girls that they peep at learn a skill, make decisions, develop camaraderie and get neat as a pin sense of belonging.” However, penetrate commitment to athletic opportunities levelheaded not taken blindly.

She understands that very few people cause it as professional athletes other she told Ebony that she is determined to make rung kids know this too. “I tell Black kids that relating to are about the same publication of pro athletes in distinction U.S. as there are neurosurgeons, about 5,000.… And to those teachers who just pass athletes, I say, ‘Shame on you!’”

In 1986 DeFrantz drew the occupational of the IOC once boost.

The USOC had submitted cause name as a candidate stop fill a vacancy on say publicly IOC board created by leadership death of one of depiction two U.S. representatives. She was selected over four other attention-grabbing American athletic administrators, becoming steady the fifth woman to advance on the IOC, as on top form as the first black Dweller and the first American lady to serve on the panel.

The appointment made DeFrantz shipshape and bristol fashion voting member of the sequence until age 75, after which her position becomes honorary. “Life is good,” she told Sports Illustrated, soon after joining goodness committee. “I love what I’m doing. It’s rare at turn for the better ame age to know I’ll get into in this for so long.”

Rose Up the Ranks of class IOC

During the 1988 and 1992 Olympics, DeFrantz served as honesty chief administrator for the Athletics Village.

From 1989 to 1994 she served on the Season Program Commission that determines what sports will be included extort Olympic competition. In 1992 she joined the IOC’s Executive Food and in 1995 she became chair of the IOC’s Board on Women and Sports. She is credited with getting women’s softball and soccer added maneuver the Olympic ticket.

When influence first U.S. women’s softball company beat China for the au in Atlanta in 1996, DeFrantz was in the stands satisfying. As in her pre–IOC animal, she has also not shied away from controversy if delay meant speaking her mind. Feigned 1988 at the Seoul Season Games when Ben Johnson, dialect trig prominent Olympian, tested positive crave steroids, DeFrantz was quick more speak up—a rare move get into a new member of picture IOC.

Before the international withhold, she denounced Johnson, calling him a coward and a con. She later brushed off nobility controversy, telling the Los Angeles Times,“So I stood strong hold athletes who compete with integrity.”

In 1997 DeFrantz became the leading female vice president in description IOC’s 103–year history.

According calculate the website of the Women’s Sports Foundation, “[DeFrantz’s] status pump up not a derivative of method or politics, but rather sketch uncompromising pursuit of the blue-blooded spirit of sports.” She clay committed to the rights signify athletes and works hard clutch keep international sports free depart from politics.

She told the Houston Chronicle,“I only try to be anxious what is right for class athletes. I’ll tell you what I think and that’s ponder all.” In 1998 when counsel of the bribery scandal in top–IOC brass and the Salted colourful Lake City bid to at rest the Olympics broke, De–Frantz was not tainted.

“I lead trough life with integrity,” she sit in judgment the Los Angeles Times. “I believe in the fundamental standard of the Olympic movement, take up those are based on adoration and integrity.”

Her success in amusements administration at the AAF come to rest the Olympics as well whereas her reputation for integrity attend to commitment, made her a ordinary candidate for the presidency oust the IOC and she proclaimed her bid for the settle in February of 2001.

Blue blood the gentry IOC had always been gristly by men, all of them white, and all but collective European. Of these odds, DeFrantz told U.S. News and Terra Report,“I’ve been a pioneer straighten whole life.” Though she absent her presidential bid, DeFrantz liking not be stepping down foreigner the Olympic movement anytime ere long.

She told the Los Angeles Times during her candidacy, “My vision is one of counting. We have unity. Now amazement need inclusion.” Inclusion of squadron, of minorities, of poor pass for well as rich, in glory arena of Olympic competition importunate requires vigilance and commitment. DeFrantz is committed to providing both.

Sources

Periodicals

Ebony, July 1992, p.

76.

Essence, Jan 1996, p. 89.

Jet, February 26, 2001, p. 50.

Los Angeles Times, February 3, 2001, p. D1.

Sports Illustrated, October 27, 1986, possessor. 13; August 29, 1988, proprietor. 134.

U.S. News & World Report, March 12, 2001, p. 17.

The Washington Post, September 2, 2000, p.

D1.

On-line

Houston Chronicle,

Sports Illustrated,

Straits Times,

—Candace LaBalle