WASHINGTON — Billie Jean King will become the first female athlete to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.
Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey announced Tuesday that their bipartisan bill has passed the House and will be sent to President Joe Biden for his signature.
A bill honoring King, a member of the Tennis Hall of Fame and an activist, passed the Senate unanimously.
Sherrill, a Democrat, said in a statement that King’s “life of struggle and hard work changed the landscape for women and girls on the court, in the classroom and in the workplace.”
The bill was introduced in September 2023 to mark the 50th anniversary of King’s victory over Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes,” which remains the most-watched tennis match of all time. The medal, awarded by Congress for outstanding achievements and contributions to society, has previously been awarded to athletes including baseball players Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente and golfers Jack Nicklaus, Byron Nelson and Arnold Palmer.
King was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. Fitzpatrick, a Republican, said she “broke barriers, blazed new trails and inspired countless people to stand up with courage and conviction in the fight for what is right.”
