Establishing a Dialogue with International Youth Through Sports

Throughout history, sports have played an important role in the social, political, and economic lives of peoples and nations. Sports are a shared cultural passion that can bring people together across the divisions of region, race, and religion in athletic competition that is a powerful source of national pride and solidarity.  Through international sports, we see the proliferation of messages of international understanding, cultural tolerance and mutual respect. 

What is SportsUnited? It is an international Sports Programming Initiative designed to help start a dialogue at the grassroots level with non-elite youth, boys and girls, ages 7-17. The programs aid the youth in discovering how success in athletics can be translated into the development of life skills and achievement in the classroom. The Initiative provides the foreign participant an opportunity to establish linkages with U.S. sports professionals and exposure to American life and culture. The experience also provides Americans the opportunity to learn about foreign cultures and the challenges young people from overseas face today. There are three parts to SportsUnited:

Sports Envoys - Working with the professional sports leagues and the U.S. Olympic Committee, athletes and coaches in various sports are chosen to serve as envoys in overseas programs that include conducting clinics, visiting schools and speaking to youth. 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. 

Well-known athletes who exemplify the best in their sport, as an athlete and an individual, are appointed by the Secretary of State to be American Public Diplomacy Envoys. These special envoys not only reach out to youth through sports but promote the best aspects of American culture and democratic principles.

Sports Visitors - Nominated by our U.S. embassies overseas, selected youth athletes and coaches are brought to the U.S. to learn about sports in America through programs that include exposure to athletics in our educational system, technical sports training, sports management, disability training, and exposure to valuable U.S. sports contacts. They then are encouraged to return home to conduct in-country clinics for youth with their newly learned skills. 

To date, 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.