WASHINGTON — FHI 360 urges passage of The American Decade of Sports Act, a timely effort to strengthen U.S. leadership through sports diplomacy, and commends the bill’s bipartisan champions.
Sports bring us together. Sports have a proven power to foster mutual understanding, build people-to-people ties and advance U.S. foreign policy objectives.
By codifying and expanding the U.S. Department of State’s Sports Diplomacy programs and directing the development of a comprehensive sports diplomacy strategy, this legislation recognizes the importance of sports to expand global understanding of the United States while delivering measurable local benefits for American communities.
As the United States prepares to host major international sporting events over the next decade, including the FIFA Men’s World Cup and the Olympic Games in Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, this bill positions the State Department to leverage sports diplomacy as a critical foreign policy tool.
On January 16, Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Todd Young (R-IN), joined by Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and John Curtis (R-UT), introduced the American Decade of Sports Act. The Senate bill complements companion legislation (H.R. 5021) introduced last year by Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA), alongside Representatives Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Gregory Meeks (D-NY), and Michael McCaul (R-TX).
In coordination with the Department of State, FHI 360 has implemented exchange and community-based programs since 2017 that use sports to promote youth development and advance U.S. foreign policy objectives worldwide.
About FHI 360
FHI 360 is a nonprofit organization that mobilizes research, resources and relationships so that people everywhere can access the opportunities they need to lead full, healthy lives. Our staff of more than 2,000 experts work in over 50 countries around the world. In the United States, we work to improve the well-being of all Americans by focusing on what can help them succeed: education, employment and health.