(AGENPARL) - Roma, 27 Luglio 2023 - (AGENPARL) – gio 27 luglio 2023 You are subscribed to Collected Releases for U.S. Department of State. This information has recently been updated, and is now available.
07/27/2023 03:38 AM EDT
Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State
Wellington, New Zealand
SECRETARY BLINKEN: First of all, it is wonderful to be here with all of these extraordinary young athletes and a few veteran athletes too.
MS CONE: Well played, well played. (Laughter.)
SECRETARY BLINKEN: But one of the reasons that we’re here is also to formalize something that we’ve been doing for a long time but now has a more formal incarnation: That’s a partnership between the State Department and U.S. Soccer. And we are so grateful to be able to do that because thanks to U.S. Soccer, we’ve had incredible sports envoys around the world – ambassadors in sports and ambassadors to the United States who are connecting people, taking down barriers, building bridges through sports. And I’ve seen it around the world. It’s incredibly powerful.
The work that we’re doing together between the State Department and U.S. Soccer will just amplify and get stronger through this formal partnership, and besides having more sports envoys, I think one of the things that we see through sports, through soccer, is a way of creating greater access to education. We’ve seen the history of Title IX in our own country. We just celebrated 50 years of Title IX. That’s something that is part of our foreign policy we’re taking around the world. We see the power of building greater equity. No better example than what women’s soccer has done in the United States, and that’s a really powerful story to take around the world.
And, of course, we see inclusion. We see people from all different communities, all walks of life, all together on the soccer pitch. It’s an incredible way of making sure that underserved groups around the world are included, are participating. And that has really powerful ramifications for everything that happens off of the soccer field. It’s something that we can help permeate throughout society.
So Cindy, we’re just grateful for what we’ve already done together and really pleased that we’re formalizing the partnership between U.S. Soccer and the State Department.