Working with U.S. Embassy in San José, the State Department developed a Sports Envoy program to reach out to Costa Rican women and youth—girls in particular—through the game of soccer.

From March 31 to April 7, former U.S. Women’s National Team Soccer Players Linda Hamilton and Kate Sobrero-Markgraf headed up a female-focused sports envoy program in Chile.

Under the Department’s Empowering Women and Girls through Sports Initiative, Olympians Jessica Mendoza and Ruby Rojas went to Nicaragua as sports envoys in February of 2013.

The State Department and NBA worked together to send former WNBA players Tamika Raymond and Nykesha Sales to Ukraine as Sports Envoys from January 28 to February 2, 2013.