U.S. Olympians and Paralympians to Participate in White House Event

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. - On Wednesday, Sept. 16, Olympic track & field champion Jackie Joyner Kersee, Olympic gymnastics champion Dominique Dawes, Olympic wrestling champion Henry Cejudo, Paralympic track & field champion April Holmes and fellow U.S. Olympians and Paralympians will participate in the White House Event on Olympics, Paralympics and Youth Sport hosted by President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama . Taking place on the South Lawn of the White House at 1 pm ET, the event will promote Chicago 2016's bid for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games while highlighting healthy living and youth sport. A full list of participating athletes is below.

President Obama and the First Lady will also be joined by U.S. International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Anita Defrantz, U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) Board member Jair Lynch, USOC Acting CEO Stephanie Streeter, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, Chicago 2016 Chairman and CEO Pat Ryan, Chicago 2016  Vice Chairman Robert Ctvrtlik, representatives from World Sport Chicago and local schoolchildren. After President Obama and the First Lady's remarks, the athletes will conduct sport demonstrations on the White House South Lawn.

Earlier in the day Wednesday, two groups of the Olympians and Paralympians will visit DC-area schools to promote the values and ideals of the Olympic Movement by engaging youth in sport activities. The athletes will visit Sousa Middle School in Washington, DC, and Lake Ridge Middle School in Woodbridge, Va., at 9 am ET.

The demonstrations will be shown live at www.whitehouse.gov/live.

White House Event on Olympic, Paralympic and Youth Sport
Participating Olympians and Paralympians
Henry Cejudo, wrestling
Michael Conley, track & field
Robert Ctvrtlik, volleyball
Dominique Dawes, gymnastics
Anita Defrantz, rowing
Jerrod Fields, Paralympic hopeful, track & field (and Iraq war veteran)
April Holmes, Paralympic track & field
Jackie Joyner Kersee, track & field
Hope Lewellen, Paralympic tennis and volleyball
Arlene Limas, taekwondo
Jair Lynch, gymnastics
Linda Mastandrea, Paralympic track & field
Tim Morehouse, fencing
Bob Pickens, wrestling
Myles Porter, Paralympic judo
Ryan Reser, judo
   
For more information, please contact the USOC Communications Division at (719) 866-4529, or visit www.teamusa.org.

Tags: Anita Defrantz, Arlene Limas, Bob Pickens, Dominique Dawes, Gymnastics, Jackie Joyner Kersee, Jair Lynch, Linda Mastandrea, Michael Conley, Myles Porter, Paralympics, Robert Ctvrtlik, Ryan Reser, Tim Morehouse, USA Fencing, USA Gymnastics, USA Judo, USA Rowing, USA Track and Field, USA Wrestling, USOC, Volleyball, Wrestling