WASHINGTON, DC, USA - Tennis legend and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour founder Billie Jean King was named an appointee to the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition today in Washington. King was named Appointee for Member, President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, where she will join First Lady Michelle Obama's team, in conjunction with the Let's Move! initiative, to promote a focus on healthy eating as well as active lifestyles.

The President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition is a committee of volunteer citizens who advise the President through the Secretary of Health and Human Services about opportunities to develop accessible, affordable and sustainable physical activity, fitness, sports and nutrition programs for all Americans. The Council's mission is to engage, educate and empower all Americans to adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes regular physical activity and good nutrition.

"This year we're expanding the work of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition to include not just a focus on active lifestyles, but on healthy eating, too," Mrs. Obama said. "The Council will play an important role in our effort to help combat childhood obesity in this country and I am grateful to the athletes, chefs, doctors and nutrition experts who are volunteering their time on the Council to help make a difference."

This is not the first time King has been recognized by the Obama administration. In August 2009 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States, for her work advocating for the rights of women and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered community.

For more information about the Council and its members, visit www.fitness.gov.