Kamlager-Dove Celebrates Committee Passage of the American Decade of Sports Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on South and Central Asia, celebrated the committee passage of H.R. 5021, the American Decade of Sports Act. This bipartisan legislation enhances the United States' ability to strengthen global relationships as it prepares to host several major sporting events, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, the 2031 Men's Rugby World Cup, the 2033 Women's Rugby World Cup, and the 2034 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games. 

Currently, the State Department has the ability to implement sports diplomacy exchange programs, but it lacks a strategic plan and sufficient staffing to focus on the American Decade of Sports. To maximize the diplomatic opportunities presented by these events, the bill:

• Directs the State Department to develop a sports diplomacy strategy that leverages the major sporting events hosted in the U.S. to enhance soft power and global leadership.
• Elevates the Sports Diplomacy Division from the Office of Citizen Exchanges to establish it as its own Office of Sports Diplomacy.
• Assigns the Office of Sports Diplomacy the responsibility of implementing the mega-decade sports diplomacy strategy.
• Provides for the assignment of at least three additional staff members to carry out the strategy.
• Requires the submission of an annual report to Congress detailing the implementation of the mega-decade sports diplomacy strategy, the restructuring of the sports diplomacy office, and the assignment of additional staff. 

Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove introduced the American Decade of Sports Act in August alongside co-leads South and Central Asia Subcommittee Chair Bill Huizenga (MI-04), House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gregory Meeks (NY-05), and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Emeritus Michael McCaul (TX-10). 

Prior to the House Foreign Affairs Committee's passage today, Rep. Kamlager-Dove expressed her support for the bill during today’s full committee markup. Her remarks, as prepared, can be viewed here or read below:

Thank you, Mr. Chair and Mr. Ranking Member for the opportunity to mark up my American Decade of Sports Act. With the World Cup draw on Friday, I appreciate that this Committee is showing bipartisan support for sports diplomacy as an essential foreign policy tool.

Over the next ten years, the United States will be the center of the sporting universe, hosting major international competitions like the World Cup and the Olympics. This presents an incredible window of opportunity to deliver lasting economic benefits for our communities, enhance U.S. global leadership, and establish once-in-a-generation diplomatic relationships that would not have come together without the connecting power of sports.

Achieving this requires a State Department that is structured and resourced to meet the moment. And that is what my American Decade of Sports Act is designed to do. 

The State Department’s sports diplomacy division punches far above its weight and does excellent work managing day-to-day sports diplomacy programs. But it needs the strategic mandate and personnel to engage with the international sporting events being hosted in the United States. My bill would elevate the division to its own Office of Sports Diplomacy, require the office to implement a strategy to leverage the mega-decade to enhance U.S. global leadership, and assign additional personnel focused exclusively on the international sporting events in the United States. 

Sports is a powerful diplomatic tool because it allows us to transcend political boundaries and connect through our shared humanity. And that opens doors to deeper conversations and lasting relationships. In a fragmented world, it is increasingly rare to have this kind of cultural convening power. But there is a reason the Olympics is the largest peacetime gathering in the world. Everyone wants to participate in this great unifying equalizer, where perseverance, teamwork, and sheer human talent are the only metrics that matter. 

Sports diplomacy is about tapping into this rare and powerful experience that is a potent ingredient for diplomatic success. And my bill would help us do just that.

I’d like to thank my co-leads, Rep. Huizenga, Rep. McCaul, and Ranking Member Meeks, for their substantive and consistent engagement on this issue. The bipartisan partnership from my Republican colleagues on sports diplomacy has truly been a bright spot of this Congress. I’m deeply grateful for their support and I look forward to continuing to work together.

I urge all my colleagues to support this important legislation, and I yield back.

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