Establishing a Dialogue with International Youth Through Sports

SportsUnited is an international sports programming initiative designed to help start a dialogue at the grassroots level with non-elite boys and girls ages 7-17. The programs aid youth in discovering how success in athletics can be translated into the development of life skills and achievement in the classroom. Foreign participants are given an opportunity to establish links with U.S. sports professionals and exposure to American life and culture. Americans learn about foreign cultures and the challenges young people from overseas face today.

Photo of a Moroccan Sports Visitor handling a soccer ball
Sports Visitor Program
Sports Visitors are youth athletes and coaches who are invited to the U.S. to learn about sports in America. Programs include exposure to athletics in our educational system, technical sports training, sports management, sports and disability, and exposure to valuable U.S. sports contacts.
Photo of Jerome Williams taking a break from a basketball clinic with a group of Bahraini boys
Sports Envoy Program
Sports Envoys are athletes and coaches in various sports chosen to conduct clinics, visit schools, and speak to youth overseas. The American athletes and coaches conduct drills and team building activities, as well as engage the youth in a dialogue on the importance of an education, positive health practices and respect for diversity.
Photo of a young boy giving a thumbs up
Sports Grant Competition
The State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs accepts proposals annually from public and private non-profit institutions, 501(c)(3), designed to enhance and improve the infrastructure of youth sports programs. The Requests for Grant Proposals are posted at the Open Funding Opportunities page.
Regional Impact

The U.S. Department of State has programmed initiatives in: baseball, basketball, football, track and field, soccer, volleyball, wrestling, archery, boxing, swimming, fencing, table tennis, ice skating, weightlifting, water polo and managing sports community centers. Since 2002, SportsUnited has been active in the following countries:

Near East Asia – Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, West Bank

East Asia Pacific – China, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam

Africa – Botswana, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda

Western Hemisphere – Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Trinidad & Tobago, Venezuela

Europe – Albania, Armenia, Georgia, Germany, Kosovo, Lithuania, Romania, Russia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine