.jpg) DeFrantz in 2016 | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
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| National team | United States | ||||||||||||||
| Born | (1952-10-04)October 4, 1952 (age 73) Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Education | Connecticut College (BA) University of Pennsylvania (JD) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Anita Lucette DeFrantz (born October 4, 1952) is an American Olympic rower, member of theInternational Olympic Committee, and twice vice-president ofInternational Rowing Federation (FISA).
DeFrantz was born on October 4, 1952, inPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania.[1] She encountered rowing during her sophomore year atConnecticut College, when crew coach Bart Gullong encouraged her to try out. She earned her degree in political philosophy. DeFrantz continued on to law school at theUniversity of Pennsylvania after graduating in 1974, where she was able to focus on rowing and compete with theVesper Boat Club.[2]
DeFrantz was captain of the American rowing team at the1976 Summer Olympics, winning the bronze medal inwomen's eight. In 1980, the United Statesboycotted the 1980 Olympic Games inMoscow,Russian SFSR,USSR: DeFrantz qualified as part of the1980 U.S. Olympic team, but she was unable to compete.[3][4] She was one of 461 athletes to receive aCongressional Gold Medal.
In 1986, theInternational Olympic Committee (IOC) appointed DeFrantz to membership in the organization. She became the first chair of theprototype of the IOC Women in Sport Commission in 1992, and the first female vice-president of the IOC executive committee in 1997, serving until 2001. On June 25, 2012, DeFrantz toldAroundTheRings.com that she would like to return to the IOC Executive Committee.[5] She was elected back onto the IOC Executive Board on September 10, 2013, and she was elected to a four-year term as IOC Vice President at the131st IOC Session inLima,Peru on September 15, 2017.[6]
DeFrantz is also on the board of theAl Oerter Foundation (AOF) which runs theArt of the Olympians[7] (AOTO) program which is an international organization of Olympian andParalympian artists promoting the Olympic values and ideals through educational and cultural programs and exhibitions.[8]
In 1980, DeFrantz was awarded theOlympic Order for her contributions to the Olympic Movement.[9] In 2017, a plaque honoring her was unveiled in theL.A. Memorial Coliseum's Court of Honor.[10]
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