Flo Hyman Memorial Award Presented to Olympic Gold Medalist Nawal El Moutawakel.Sports Editors WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 5, 2003 Awarded During Capitol Hill Congressional Ceremony Commemorating National Girls and Women in Sports Day The Women's Sports Foundation The Women's Sports Foundation (WSF) "is a charitable educational organization dedicated to ensuring equal access to participation and leadership opportunities for all girls and women in sports and fitness. awarded Nawal El Moutawakel Nawal El Moutawakel (Arabic: نوال المتوكل) (born on April 15, 1962 in Casablanca) is a Moroccan hurdler, who won the inaugural women's 400 m hurdles event at the 1984 Summer , an Olympic gold medalist and the first Moroccan to win a gold medal, its most prestigious award, the Flo Hyman Memorial Award, today at a congressional luncheon in Washington, D.C. The award recognizes an outstanding female athlete whose achievements reflect Flo Hyman's spirit and commitment to excellence on and off the playing field. As captain of the 1984 silver medal-winning U.S. volleyball team, Flo Hyman contributed to the sudden popularity and respect for U.S. volleyball around the world. Hyman's passion and dedication to sports led her to Congress where she fought for equal opportunities for women in sports. She died suddenly from Marfan Syndrome, a connective tissue disorder, while playing in Japan in 1986. Nawal El Moutawakel captured the gold in the 400-meter hurdles at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. In doing so, she became the first woman from an Islamic nation to win an Olympic medal and the first Moroccan of either sex to win the gold. El Moutawakel's accomplishments earned wide recognition in her home nation, resulting in the King of Morocco declaring that all girls born on the date of her victory were to be named in her honor. A graduate of Iowa State University Academics ISU is best known for its degree programs in science, engineering, and agriculture. ISU is also home of the world's first electronic digital computing device, the Atanasoff–Berry Computer. , El Moutawakel received an athletic scholarship for track and field, and was the NCAA NCAA abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association 400-hurdles champion in 1984 and an All-American. In 1995, she became a council member of the International Amateur Athletic Foundation. Two years later, El Moutawakel was appointed Minister of Sport and Youth in Morocco and became the first Muslim woman ever elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee “IOC” redirects here. For other uses, see IOC (disambiguation). The International Olympic Committee (French: Comité International Olympique) is an organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas on June 23 (IOC IOC abbr. International Olympic Committee IOC n abbr (= International Olympic Committee) → COI m IOC n abbr (= ). Today, El Moutawakel continues to work with the IOC's group on Women and Sports and the IOC Marketing Commission. Her efforts to gain equal opportunity for women in sports continues to build from the groundwork that she herself laid in 1984 when she won the gold. It was El Moutawakel's Olympic success that convinced the Moroccan government of the benefits of investing in girls, as well as boys, at the grassroots level. She was also instrumental in the development of women's sports organizations in Arabic nations and the African continent. El Moutawakel joins an elite group of women previously awarded the Flo Hyman Memorial Award, including basketball stars Lisa Leslie and Lynnette Woodard; Hall of Fame golfers Nancy Lopez and Patty Sheehan; Olympic gold-medal gymnasts Nadia Comaneci and Mary Lou Retton Mary Lou Retton (born January 24, 1968 in Fairmont, West Virginia) is an American gymnast of Italian heritage. She was the first female gymnast outside Eastern Europe to win the Olympic all-around title. ; world disabled ski champion Diana Golden; two-time Olympic softball gold medalist Dot Richardson; Olympic speedskater Bonnie Blair; swimming champion Donna de Varona Donna Elizabeth de Varona (born April 26, 1947 in San Diego, California) is a former American swimmer of Mexican and Irish ancestry. De Varona was the youngest swimmer to compete at the 1960 Summer Olympics, while at the following Olympics, she won gold medals in the 400 ; tennis greats Chris Evert, Billie Jean King Noun 1. Billie Jean King - United States woman tennis player (born in 1943) Billie Jean Moffitt King, King , Martina Navratilova and Monica Seles and track and field stars Evelyn Ashford and Jackie Joyner-Kersee. El Moutawakel was honored at the annual celebratory luncheon for National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD NGWSD National Girls and Women in Sports Day ). NGWSD celebrates the achievements of girls and women in sports and recognizes the importance of their participation in athletics. With Title IX, the 30-year-old legislation that provides women with equal athletic opportunity regarding participation, scholarships and other benefits, under review at present, the gathering addressed legislators on the importance and relevance of Title IX. In addition to commemorating NGWSD, former Senator Birch Bayh (D-IN) and Academy Award-winning actress Holly Hunter announced a National Campaign to Save Title IX. The Department of Education created the Secretary's Commission on Opportunity in Athletics to examine federal standards for measuring equal opportunity to participate in athletics under Title IX. The commission will issue a report to Education Secretary Ron Paige with recommended revisions to Title IX later this month. The champion female athletes who participated in the celebration included Val Ackerman (basketball), Jen Adams (lacrosse lacrosse (ləkrôs`), ball and goal game usually played outdoors by two teams of 10 players each on a field 60 to 70 yd (54.86 to 64.01 m) wide by 110 yd (100.58 m) long. Two goals face each other 80 yd (73. ), Tori Allen (climbing), Ann Cook (soccer), Stacey Dales-Schuman (basketball), Dominique Dawes (gymnastics), Donna de Varona (swimming), Jean Driscoll (track and field), Benita Fitzgerald Mosley (track & field), Julie Foudy (soccer), Lillian Greene-Chamberlain, Ph.D. (track & field), Nancy Hogshead-Makar (swimming), Nikki McCray (basketball), Siri Mullinix (soccer), Cameron Myler (luge luge (l  zh), a type of small sled on which one or two persons, lying face up, slide feet first down snowy hillsides or down steeply banked, curving, iced chutes similar to those used in ), Donna Richardson (fitness) and
Dawn Riley (sailing).
National Girls and Women in Sports Day was first declared a national day by Congress in 1986 to honor female athletic achievement and to recognize the importance of participation in sports and fitness for girls and women of all ages. Hundreds of events involving tens of thousands of participants are held nationwide to celebrate the day. This annual event is sponsored by five organizations, which together reach over 50 million girls and women: the Girl Scouts of the USA For Girl Scouts worldwide, see Girl Guide and Girl Scout. The Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA) is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. , Girls Incorporated, the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport, the Women's Sports Foundation and the YWCA YWCA abbr. Young Women's Christian Association YWCA n abbr (= Young Women's Christian Association) → Asociación f de Jóvenes Cristianas YWCA of the U.S.A. For more information on National Girls and Women in Sports Day, please visit www.NGWSDcentral.com. For more information on the National Campaign to Save Title IX please visit www.SaveTitleIX.com |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion