Washington, D.C. - Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee Chair Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Diana DeGette (D-CO) announced today the appointments of Mr. Han Xiao, Ms. Karin Korb, Ms. Patty Cisneros Prevo, and Dr. Edwin Moses to the Commission on the State of the U.S. Olympics and Paralympics, a new commission established by the Empowering Olympic, Paralympic, and Amateur Athletes Act of 2020.
“After reviewing the many qualified candidates, we are pleased to announce the appointment of four former Team USA athletes, Mr. Han Xiao, Ms. Karin Korb, Ms. Patty Cisneros Prevo, and Dr. Edwin Moses, to the Commission on the State of U.S. Olympics and Paralympics. As former Olympic and Paralympic athletes, these appointees will be staunch advocates for athletes’ safety and well-being and bring needed diversity of views and experiences to the Commission," said Pallone, Schakowsky, and DeGette. “We are also proud to announce the designation of Mr. Xiao as Co-Chair of the Commission. His deep understanding of the Olympic and Paralympic movement and devotion to raising athletes’ voices makes him exceptionally well-qualified to Co-Chair this Commission. Once the remaining members of the Commission have been appointed, we look forward to monitoring the Commission’s work to protect and empower future generations of American athletes."
The Commission’s establishment is based on H.R. 3303, the Strengthening U.S. Olympics Act, which was introduced by DeGette. The Commission will be composed of 16 members selected by the Chairs and Ranking Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. Each of the four committee leaders will appoint four Commission members. Pallone made his appointments in close consultation with Schakowsky and DeGette.
Members of the Commission are responsible for conducting a study on matters related to the state of the Olympic and Paralympic movement in the United States and submitting a detailed report on its findings and recommendations to Congress by Summer 2021.
Mr. Han Xiao is currently the Chair of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) Athletes’ Advisory Council (AAC), a position he was elected to by his peers in 2017. Mr. Xiao is a World Team Member and Pan American Games Bronze Medalist in Table Tennis. He was an Athlete Services Coordinator at the 2016 Olympic Games.
Ms. Karin Korb is a 2000 and 2004 Paralympian in Wheelchair Tennis, former USA Junior Wheelchair Tennis World Team Cup Coach, and former USOPC AAC member. She was the youngest and only tennis player with a physical disability inducted into the Georgia Tennis Hall of Fame. A New Jersey native and Kean University graduate, she is currently the Public Policy Coordinator for the Lakeshore Foundation, a non-profit organization that serves people with disabilities and chronic health conditions to lead healthy, active, and independent lifestyles through physical activity, sport, and recreation. It is also a designated U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training site and the High-Performance Management Organization of the USA National Wheelchair Rugby Team.
Ms. Patty Cisneros Prevo is a three-time Paralympian and two-time gold medalist in Wheelchair Basketball and first-generation Mexican-American. Ms. Cisneros Prevo played wheelchair basketball for the University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign while earning her M.Ed. Four years after graduating, she returned to Illinois and became the first female head coach of a collegiate wheelchair basketball team, winning the National Championship that same year. She is also a former teacher at Denver Public Schools. She is currently the Assistant Director for Inclusion and Engagement at the University of Wisconsin-Madison athletics. She is the author of the forthcoming children’s book Unstoppable: Fifteen Adventures Alongside Athletes with Physical Disabilities.
Dr. Edwin Moses is a 1976 and 1984 Olympic gold medalist and legend in Track and Field. An inductee to the National Track and Field Hall of Fame, he remained undefeated in 122 consecutive races spanning a period of nine years, nine months, and nine days. He has a B.S. in physics from Morehouse College, an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University, as well as an honorary Doctor of Science from University of Massachusetts Boston in recognition of his lifelong contribution to ensuring the integrity of amateur sports and for using sports as a tool for social change. Dr. Moses resides in Atlanta, Georgia and is currently Chairman Emeritus of the United States Anti-Doping Agency.
