Anita DeFrantz

The World Olympians Association gave IOC executive board member and USOC board member Anita DeFrantz the Osaka Award at the grand opening of the Olympians Reunion Center, a hospitality center backed by Visa for former Olympians.

The award was created in association with the city of Osaka to recognize those who, throughout their career, support and assist Olympians and the Olympic movement. Previous award winners include Tom Shepard, Visa’s former executive vice president of global partnerships; the International Ski Federation; and IOC Olympic Games Executive Director Gilbert Felli.

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DeFrantz, who won a bronze medal in rowing at the 1976 Olympics, said she was honored and surprised by the award.

“It says it’s important to have women involved, and it is,” DeFrantz said, adding that 26,000 women have competed in the Olympics since 1972. “I hope we take up the mantle for policy-making in the future.”

World Olympians Association President Dick Fosbury, who was the first high jumper to clear the bar backward, presented the award to DeFrantz at the opening of the Olympians Reunion Center.

This year’s center is located at the Prince Jun Palace near Chaoyang Park near the beach volleyball stadium in northeastern Beijing. Located on the grounds of a former imperial residence for the Qing Dynasty, the palace is a tree-covered outdoor courtyard with traditional Chinese architecture and a small pond.

DeFrantz Sees Conclusion To IOC/USOC Negotiations

DeFrantz said that a resolution to the negotiations between the two organizations over the American share of global marketing revenue is “quite doable.”

The USOC currently receives 13 percent of U.S. TV rights and 20 percent of global marketing rights, which contributes hundreds of millions of dollars to the organization’s bottom line. The two parties have been speaking for close to a year about the revenue split, which has been criticized publicly by several IOC members.

DeFrantz didn’t specify a timeline but said she could see the negotiations being concluded in the near future.

“The people of the United States have been very generous to the Olympic movement,” DeFrantz said. “The television rights are driven by the interest of the American people in the Olympics.”

She added that many people don’t understand that the USOC — unlike other national Olympic committees — doesn’t receive government support or funding.

“I hope (a resolution) happens very soon,” DeFrantz said.