COLUMBIA, S.C. — Dawn Staley is heading back to Paris, France, for basketball. This time the Gamecocks head coach and three-time Olympic gold medalist is part of the Presidential Delegation headed up by First Lady Jill Biden.
Opening ceremonies for the Paris Olympics is Friday, July 26.
Two of Staley's former players will be competing in the games -- A'ja Wilson on Team USA and Laeticia Amihere on Team Canada.
Staley was part of Team USA in 1996 (Atlanta), 2000 (Sydney), and 2004 (Athens) when they won Olympic gold medals and then returned as the head coach of the Team USA 2020 Tokyo. During the 2004 Games in Athens, Greece, Staley was selected to carry the US flag during opening ceremonies.
Most recently, Staley won her third NCAA Women's Basketball Championship and defeated Notre Dame in Paris on November 6, 2023.
Other members of the Presidential Delegation include:
- T.H. Denise Campbell Bauer, U.S. Ambassador to the French Republic and the Principality of Monaco
- T.H. Chris Coons, United States Senator, Delaware
- T.H. Alex Padilla, United States Senator, California
- T.H. Karen Bass, Mayor of Los Angeles, California
- Casey Wasserman, Chairperson, LA28 Olympic & Paralympic Games
- Brian Boitano, three-time Olympian and Olympic gold medalist, Figure Skating
Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff will lead the delegation to the Closing of the Olympic Games. The Closing Ceremony will take place on August 11, 2024. Members of that delegation include:
- T.H. Denise Campbell Bauer, U.S. Ambassador to the French Republic and the Principality of Monaco
- T.H. Laphonza Butler, United States Senator, California
- T.H. Robert Garcia, United States Representative, 42nd District of California
- Mrs. Chaunté Lowe, Member of the President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition, four-time Olympian and Olympic bronze medalist, Track and Field
- Ms. Briana Scurry, two-time Olympian, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and World Cup Champion, Women’s Soccer
The other two Presidential Delegations to the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Paralympic Games will be announced at a later date.