Globalist Coffeehouse: The Unspoken Soft Power - Sports!

Please join like-minded “global thinkers” for what will be a very lively discussion with your fellow World Affairs Council members.
About this Event

Sports Diplomacy, as it is often called, is seen as a form of public diplomacy that fosters trust and productive relationships while advancing foreign policy goals. The State Department actually has a sports diplomacy division. A recent example is the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Visitors had an intriguing and positive response to their time in the United States - in addition to meeting Americans, people became fascinated with Ranch Dressing as well as Buc-ee's! There is also history here, from baseball in Japan with Babe Ruth in the 1930's, to the 1971 US ping-pong team in China, which paved the way for President Richard Nixon's historic visit a year later.

Sport has been called the "universal language." Are you aware of any examples where sports diplomacy was a unique and even positive experience between cultures? Perhaps even something you participated in - i.e., a football game on a dirt field in rural Sudan or Ecuador.

Please join us for a very fascinating dinner discussion.