Former competitive swimmer Donna de Varona is an American activist and sportscaster for television. At age 13, de Varona met the requirements to join the American swimming squad. Her hallmark event, the 400-meter individual medley, in which she already held the world record, would not be included on the Olympic calendar. De Varona competed for the American team in the women's 4100 freestyle relay preliminary heats at the Summer Olympics in Rome, but because she did not compete in the event final, she was not awarded a gold medal. She was well on her way to setting a career-high of eighteen world best times and world records when she won the gold medal four years later at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
De Varona was featured on the covers of the magazines Life, Look and Sports Illustrated. De Varona was selected as the "most outstanding female athlete in the world" by the Associated Press and United Press International. De Varona retired from swimming to start a career in sports broadcasting, a field dominated by men.
She co-founded the Women's Sports Foundation with Billie Jean King as a supporter of women in sports. She was the Foundation's inaugural president before going on to serve as chairman and Honorary Trustee. Under de Varona's direction, the Women's Sport Foundation established the Hall of Fame Dinner (now known as the Annual Salute to Women in Sports Awards Dinner), Travel and Training Grants, research initiatives, a toll-free phone number and yearly trips to Washington, D.C., to inform Congress about Title IX and the significance of offering sport and physical activity opportunities on an equitable basis to both men and women. The Foundation has raised more than $30 million over the years to fund its projects..

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