Olympic Medalist Provides Commentary
For FOX Sports 1, FOXSPORTS.COM & FOX Sports Radio
New York – Michelle Kwan, the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history, joins FOX Sports as an analyst for the 2014 Winter Games from Sochi, Russia. Kwan provides expert analysis during figure skating events and contributes daily commentary prior to and throughout The Games across all FOX Sports platforms including FOX Sports 1, America’s new sports network launching August 17, FOXSports.com and FOX Sports Radio. The announcement was made today by Rick Jaffe, FOX Sports Senior Vice President of News. Kwan joins Olympic gold medal downhill skier Picabo Street, who was previously announced as a FOX Sports Olympic analyst.
“I’m thrilled to be a part of the FOX Sports team,” said Kwan. “FOX Sports is known for being fresh, innovative and fun, and that’s the approach I plan to bring in my role. I want to give fans an insider’s look at figure skating and the entire Olympics experience.”
“There is no bigger name in the sport of figure skating than Michelle Kwan, and we are delighted to welcome her to FOX Sports,” Jaffe said. “Not only is she the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history, but she is also opinionated and insightful, and we’re very lucky to have her as part of our Olympic team.”
In her illustrious figure skating career, Kwan won an unprecedented 43 championships, including five World Championships, nine overall and eight straight U.S. National Championships and two Olympic medals. In the nearly 100-year history of U.S. figure skating, no American man or woman has won more world titles, national titles or Olympic medals.
Honors and awards Kwan has received for her athletic achievements include selection by ESPN as one of the 40 greatest female athletes of the past 40 years (2012); 2003 U.S. Olympic Committee SportsWoman of the Year; 2001 Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in America; 1998 Sportswoman of the Year by the Women’s Sports Foundation; 2002 and 2003 Kids’ Choice Award and the 2002 Teen Choice Award as America’s favorite female athlete; and in 2000, one of People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People in the World.”
Perhaps even more impressive are Kwan’s accomplishments off the ice. In 2006, she was appointed the first U.S. Public Diplomacy Envoy by the U.S. Secretary of State. In 2010, President Obama named her to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, and later that year, she was elected to the Board of Directors of Special Olympics International. In 2012, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appointed Kwan to serve on the newly formed Council to Empower Women and Girls Through Sports. In 2010, Kwan received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Southern Vermont College.
Kwan graduated from the University of Denver in 2008 with a degree in international studies. She earned her master’s degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in 2011. She is currently employed by the State Department as a senior advisor for public diplomacy and public affairs, a position she has held since October 2012.
Kwan served as a correspondent for “Good Morning America” at the 2010 Olympics and was part of the television broadcast team that covered the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships.
Kwan has made numerous television appearances during and after her skating career, including having guest-starred as herself in “Homer and Ned’s Hail Mary Pass,” an episode of “The Simpsons” that drew one of the largest viewing audiences in the show’s history. She has also made guest appearances on “Family Guy” and the children’s television series “Arthur.” Kwan wrote the inspirational children’s book “The Winning Attitude: What it Takes to be a Champion” and penned her autobiography “Heart of a Champion” at age 17.
– FOX SPORTS –
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