People BILLIE JEAN KING Billie Jean King (1943-) is an American former tennis player. King won thirtynine Grand Slam titles, in singles and in women s and mixed doubles; however, she is widely known for being an advocate of gender equality and a pioneer for social justice. In 1973, at the age of 29, she won the so-called Battle of the Sexes tennis match against the 55-year-old Bobby Riggs. Since the late 1960s, King has campaigned for equal prize money in men s and women s games. Then, she became the first woman athlete to earn over 100,000 dollars in prize money; however, inequalities in tennis continued: she won the US Open in 1972 but received 15,000 dollars less than the men s champion. Consequently, she said that she would not play the next year if the prize money was not equal; thanks to her struggle, in 1973 the US Open became the first major tournament to offer equal prize money for men and women. For her commitment, Billie Jean King has been included in the International Tennis Hall of Fame. vERA ÁSLAvSKÁ vera slavsk (1942-2016) was the most decorated Czech gymnast in history: she was one of only three female gymnasts ever to have won two Olympic gold medals in all disciplines and the only gymnast to have won an Olympic gold medal in each individual event. In addition to her gymnastics success, slavsk was known for her strong support of the Czechoslovak democratization movement and her opposition to the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. At the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, she protested by looking down and away while the Soviet national anthem was played during the medal ceremonies. For this reason, she was forced into retirement by the regime and for many years she was denied the right to travel, work, and attend sporting events. Her situation improved after the intervention of members of the IOC, and thanks to the changes in the Soviet regime in the late 1980s. During the 1990s, she held several positions of honour, including that of president of the Czech Olympic Committee. KATHRINE VIRGINIA SWITZER Kathrine Virginia Switzer (1947-) is an American former marathon runner. In 1967, she became the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as an officially registered competitor, as she enrolled only with the initial letters of her name. During her run, a race manager assaulted her, trying to grab her bib number and remove her from the race, but he was knocked to the ground by Switzer s boyfriend, who was running with her, enabling her to complete the race. Her gesture started discussion about the participation of women in marathons; in 1972, the Boston Marathon was opened to women. Switzer was the woman winner of the 1974 New York City Marathon; her personal best time was at the 1975 Boston Marathon. Now she is an author and a commentator for American television. anthem: inno bib: pettorale up-and-comer: promessa 250 HISTORy, pHILOSOpHy, AND CIvIC EDUCATION committment: impegno former: ex