S3676-119

What This Bill Does

The reported American Decade of Sports Act requires the Secretary of State to submit a five-year sports-diplomacy strategy within 180 days and a second five-year strategy five years after the first, incorporating lessons from events held during the initial period. The strategies must state diplomatic objectives and metrics; coordinate host cities, diaspora communities, creators, athletes, sports organizations, businesses, human-rights groups, and civil society; integrate sports into bilateral, public, and commercial diplomacy; plan secure and expeditious visa processing; identify resource needs; and consider domestic public-diplomacy resources for foreign visitors. State must publish each strategy, consult congressional foreign-affairs committees before submission, and provide implementation information every 180 days through 2034. The bill establishes an Office of Sports Diplomacy in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to manage exchanges and implement the strategies across State, other agencies, host cities, diaspora groups, leagues, athletes, tourism and trade offices, cultural creators, and visa stakeholders. The office authority sunsets ten years after enactment. State must also report annually to Congress on progress through the end of 2034. Unlike the introduced version, the reported bill does not require three additional full-time employees or prescribe a specific supervisory position.

Who Benefits and How

U.S. host cities, tourism and trade offices, sports leagues, athletes, sponsors, cultural creators, and diaspora communities gain structured roles in international engagement around the World Cup, Olympics and Paralympics, Rugby World Cups, and other covered events. Foreign audiences and visitors gain expanded cultural and diplomatic programming. Eligible international athletes, families, support staff, broadcasters, and spectators may benefit from coordinated plans to reduce visa appointment waits while preserving security. State and Congress gain measurable strategies, lessons-learned analysis, semiannual implementation information, and annual progress reports.

Who Bears the Burden and How

The State Department must produce and publish two strategies, consult Congress, coordinate across bureaus and agencies, plan visa operations, manage partnerships, provide semiannual updates, and submit annual reports through 2034. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs must operate the new office for up to ten years. Host cities, sports organizations, diaspora groups, creators, civil-society organizations, and visa partners must devote staff time to coordination. The final bill provides no dedicated staffing floor, so State may need to absorb the work with available personnel and resources.

Key Provisions

• Requires an initial five-year sports-diplomacy strategy within 180 days.
• Requires a second five-year strategy after five years with lessons learned from earlier events.
• Requires plans for host-city partnerships, diaspora engagement, commercial diplomacy, cultural outreach, metrics, and secure visa processing.
• Establishes the Office of Sports Diplomacy to manage exchanges and implement the strategies.
• Provides semiannual implementation information and annual congressional reports through 2034.
• Limits the office authority to ten years and omits the introduced three-person staffing mandate.