Mega-decade sports diplomacy

(a) Strategy submission (1) Initial strategy Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs of the Department shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a five-year sports diplomacy strategy to strategically leverage the major sporting events being hosted in the United States to enhance United States soft power, diplomatic relationships, and global leadership; (2) Subsequent strategy Not later than five years after the date on which the initial strategy is submitted pursuant to paragraph (1), the Assistant Secretary shall submit a subsequent five-year strategy in accordance with the requirements of this section. (b) Strategy elements Each strategy required under subsection (a) shall include— (1) a description of the Department’s diplomatic objectives and metrics of success related to the mega-decade of sports; (2) a plan to partner with local host cities, diaspora communities, creatives, athletes, the sports industry, private sector entities, human rights organizations, and civil society stakeholders to showcase United States national strengths and forge new diplomatic connections; (3) a plan to coordinate internally in the Department to leverage sporting events to advance diplomatic efforts, including by— (A) integrating sports diplomacy into regional bureaus’ bilateral engagements; (B) incorporating sports into public diplomacy to reach new foreign audiences; and (C) leveraging sports diplomacy to advance commercial diplomacy. (4) a plan to ensure expeditious and secure visa processing for athletes, their families and staff, and eligible international visitors, including reducing appointment wait times; (5) a description of the financial and personnel resources needed to implement the strategy; (6) any plans to deploy domestic public diplomacy resources, such as the Cultural Unit and Foreign Press Center used during the 1984 Olympic Games, to enable engagement with American culture and values; (7) a requirement that each strategy be made publicly available on the website of the Department not later than 180 days after enactment, and again 5 years later; and (8) a requirement that the Assistant Secretary consult with the relevant congressional committees prior to submission and provide implementation updates every 180 days through December 31, 2034. (c) Implementation and office structure (1) Office establishment Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment, the Secretary shall rename the sports diplomacy division of the Department as the Office of Sports Diplomacy, which shall report directly to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Professional and Cultural Exchanges in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the Department; (2) Office responsibilities The Office of Sports Diplomacy shall manage sports diplomacy exchange programs and implement the strategy under subsection (a), including by— (A) coordinating implementation across relevant bureaus and offices; (B) partnering with host cities to identify new avenues for foreign engagement; (C) engaging diaspora communities to deepen people-to-people ties; (D) collaborating with United States sports leagues, athletes, and the sports industry to expand sports diplomacy programs; (E) working with host cities’ international trade and tourism offices to expand commercial engagement; (F) elevating American arts, film, and music to promote cultural connection with foreign visitors; and (G) coordinating with internal and interagency stakeholders to ensure efficient visa processing for athletes, staff, and foreign visitors. (3) Staffing requirement Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment and through December 31, 2034, the Secretary shall assign not fewer than three additional full-time equivalent employees to the Office of Sports Diplomacy to support the strategy’s implementation. These employees— (A) shall not be dual-hatted; and (B) may be assigned through mechanisms including— (i) the use of existing flexible hiring authorities, including Domestic Employees Teleworking Overseas; and (ii) the realignment of existing personnel. (d) Reporting requirement Not later than one year after submission of the initial strategy, and annually thereafter through December 31, 2034, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on progress toward achieving the objectives of this section. (e) Definition In this section, the terms mega-decade of sports and American decade of sports mean the major international sporting competitions hosted in the United States between 2024 and 2034, including— (1) the 2024 Copa America; (2) the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup; (3) the 2026 FIFA World Cup; (4) the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games; (5) the 2031 Men’s and 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cups; and (6) the 2034 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.