New York Times: Members of Congress Seek to Expand Sports Diplomacy – The New York Times
Republicans and Democrats in Congress are pressing the Trump administration to come up with a strategy to use a series of marquee international sporting events in the United States to expand American diplomatic influence.
With the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028, the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2034 and the FIFA World Cup next year, the lawmakers argue that the United States must seize a unique chance to strengthen its relationships with other countries.
“It is an opportunity to show off your host city and to show off your Olympians,” Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Democrat of California, said in an interview. “But it’s also an opportunity to lean into diplomacy — business-to-business relationships, nonprofit-to-business, government relationships.”
Ms. Kamlager-Dove is a leading sponsor of the American Decade of Sports Act, legislation introduced on Friday, which seeks to expand the State Department’s role in sports diplomacy. The measure would elevate an existing division into a formal Office of Sports Diplomacy, provide more funding and staff, and require the department to present a comprehensive sports diplomacy strategy to Congress.
Ms. Kamlager-Dove said the bill, which is cosponsored by several members of her own party as well as a number of Republicans, including Representative Young Kim of California, would ensure that “we implement all of the things that need to be done to get the United States ready for this mega decade.”
Ms. Kamlager-Dove said she developed a deeper appreciation for how a shared enthusiasm for sports can strengthen diplomatic ties during a recent trip to Japan. Having been advised to bring a gift, she chose a Shohei Ohtani Los Angeles Dodgers jersey, in honor of the hometown athlete who has gone on to become an international baseball sensation.
The gift was such a hit, she said, that she believed it paved the way for her delegation to secure an additional, previously unscheduled set of meetings with Japanese officials.
“The defense minister’s face lit up,” Ms. Kamlager-Dove recalled. “He put down the gift from the State Department and put on the shirt and grabbed a hat, went into his office to put the shirt on and take his own photos, and came back out. That was when it hit me how universal a language sports can be.”
Ms. Kim and Ms. Kamlager-Dove have both pressed the administration on practical issues that could undercut the diplomatic benefits of the upcoming sporting events in the United States. Earlier this summer, they led an effort to ensure that international athletes would be able to secure visas on time, warning that long waits in some countries threatened to block competitors from participating.
At a hearing with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, they pressed for guarantees. President Trump has since announced that a special State Department process will smooth the way for visa approvals and exempt athletes and officials from existing travel bans on 19 countries.
In a statement, a White House official said Mr. Trump’s Olympics task force would “streamline visa processing and credentialing for foreign athletes, coaches, officials and media.”
“I’m glad to hear that things are moving along and they are coming together, because we really want them to come, and we don’t want the visa backlog to be the failure to meet the moment that Olympics and World Cups will be providing,” Ms. Kim said. “The focus should be on the events and then highlighting our amazing athletes.”
