Donna de Varona was an Olympian at age 13, then four years later, won Olympic gold in 1964.
But her Olympic career didn’t end there. She went on to become the first president of the Women’s Sports Foundation and a successful journalist, having the opportunity to cover the Olympic Games as well. She was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) in 1969.
She shared her story with young reporters from around the world through the Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive (AIPS) eCollege on Thursday, May 14, via Zoom.
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Donna de Varona on the cover of Swimming World alongside Don Schollander.
De Varona was an Olympian in Rome in 1960 at age 13, then won the gold medal in the 400 IM in 1964 in Tokyo, earning the Women’s Athlete of the Year by The Associated Press. But because of the role of women’s sports — or lack of — in college at the time, there were no scholarship opportunities for an Olympian if they were female.
Her biggest mark was outside the water, something she shared with the students. She was broadcasting on ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” at age 17.
“I grew up in a man’s world,” she told the students. “When boys of my generation went to university with a sports scholarship, girls like me just retired.”
She covered men’s swimming at the 1968 Olympics, the first of 18 Olympic Games she would broadcast, along the way becoming an Emmy Award winner.
She fought for rights, which later led to Title IX.
“Title IX changed America,” she said.
De Varona, who was inducted into the Women’s Hall of Fame, teamed with Billie Jean King in the push for gender equity in sports and became the first president of the Women’s Sports Foundation, with the goal of giving out scholarships, push international committees and federation to treat women fairly and put pressure on colleges to comply with the Title IX.
Meanwhile, she was able to use her voice as a broadcast journalist.
“When you are a winner and you really reach out, people will be attracted to you,” she told the group. “I also met many people who tried to obstruct my dreams. That’s why I became a journalist and activist, always defending women’s rights.”
She was the chair of the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup and in 2019, she was given the United States Olympic and Paralympic torch award for outstanding contributions to international sport.
Donna de Varona left with a bit of advice for the group: “Exercise, staying involved with your passion and never letting anybody compromising your dreams.”
Nice article about a very CLASSY LADY. ???
Another Santa Clara Swim Club legend. Go SCSC ? ?