Anita DeFrantz Awarded Olympic & Paralympic Torch Award

The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is awarding Olympic rowing legend and trailblazer Anita DeFrantz with the prestigious Olympic & Paralympic Torch Award during a ceremony tonight in Salt Lake City. Established in 1965, the Torch Award is presented annually to an individual whose work has had a meaningful and lasting impact on the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic movements.

DeFrantz made history as the first Black woman to win an Olympic medal in rowing, capturing bronze in the women’s eight at the 1976 Montreal Games, the first time the event was contested at the Olympics. She also captained the U.S. women’s rowing team that year. A two-time Olympian, she competed on the U.S. National Team from 1975 to 1980, winning silver at the 1978 World Championships.

Her career has been defined by leadership and advocacy. She served two decades as president of the LA84 Foundation, created from the surplus of the 1984 Olympic Games, where she oversaw more than $225 million in grants supporting over 2,000 youth sports organizations. In 1984, she served as vice president of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, helping to stage one of the most successful Games in history.

In 1986, DeFrantz became the first African American and first woman elected to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). She joined the IOC Executive Board in 1992 and chaired the Women and Sport Commission in 1995. In 1997, she became the first woman elected to the IOC vice presidency, serving until 2001 and resuming the role in 2018.

DeFrantz has also been a key figure in athlete advocacy, filing a lawsuit opposing the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Moscow Games. That same year, she received the Olympic Order, the IOC’s highest honor. Her accolades include the 1999 NCAA Silver Anniversary Award and the 2024 NCAA President’s Gerald R. Ford Award. She currently serves as president of the Tubman Truth Corp. and is a member of LA28, the organizing committee for the 2028 Olympic Games. DeFrantz was inducted into the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame Class of 2025. 

The Olympic & Paralympic Torch Award remains one of the USOPC’s most significant honors, celebrating individuals who embody excellence, integrity, and service to sport in the United States. Tonight’s recognition cements DeFrantz’s place among the most influential figures in the history of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic movements.