2026 Meridian Sports Diplomacy Forum
At a moment when international relationships are being tested and redefined, Meridian International Center convened more than 200 leaders from government, diplomacy, sports, and the private sector for its Sports Diplomacy Forum on January 29, 2026. Hosted at the historical Meridian House, the forum created a dedicated space to examine how sport can serve as a powerful instrument for diplomacy, cross-cultural understanding, and global cooperation.
The forum featured a keynote appearance by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and included the official FIFA World Cup 2026™ Trophy, underscoring the growing role of global sporting events in shaping international engagement. Discussions explored how major competitions, athletes, and sports institutions can complement traditional diplomacy by building trust, fostering dialogue, and creating shared experiences that transcend borders.
Participants examined the role of sports in advancing people-to-people ties, promoting youth engagement, and strengthening international partnerships amid geopolitical uncertainty. Bringing together government officials, ambassadors, and leaders from the sports and business communities, the forum equipped attendees with practical perspectives and strategies for leveraging sport as a platform for collaboration in an increasingly complex global environment.
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Panels
Meridian Sports Diplomacy Forum 2026 - The Starting Line
Speaker:
The FIFA 2026 Playbook
FIFA26 represents an unprecedented orchestration challenge—coordinating the largest World Cup ever across three nations, 16 host cities, and millions of global fans. Explore the strategic governance, technological innovations, and cross-border frameworks that transform continental vision into seamless execution. Learn how national leadership unites public-private stakeholders, designs fan experiences, ensures security and sustainability, and positions North America as the global epicenter of sport.
Remarks:
Andrew Giuliani | Executive Director, White House Task Force on FIFA World Cup 2026
Speakers:
Amy Hopfinger | Chief Business & Strategy Officer, FIFA World Cup 2026™
Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff | Sports Diplomacy Expert & Clinical Assistant Professor, NYU (Moderator)
Alex Lasry | CEO, FIFA World Cup 2026™ NYNJ Host Committee
A Conversation with Zachary Leonsis
As the lines between sports, business, and urban innovation continue to blur, professional franchises are playing an increasingly strategic role in shaping local and regional economies. Monumental Sports & Entertainment exemplifies how investments in media, technology, and infrastructure can create ripple effects that extend far beyond the arena—generating jobs, revitalizing neighborhoods, and fostering community pride. By connecting cultural impact with commercial strategy, organizations like MSE are helping redefine how sports contribute to sustainable development and civic vitality at home and abroad. Explore how such integrated approaches are transforming the broader sports industry, inspiring new models of public-private collaboration and economic growth.
Speaker:
Deborah Lehr | Interim CEO, Meridian International Center (Moderator)
Zachary Leonsis | President of Media & New Enterprises, Monumental Sports & Entertainment
Host City Diplomacy: Harnessing Mega Events for Global Impact
From mega-events like the FIFA World Cup and Olympic Games to professional leagues, stadium investments, and community tournaments, cities are increasingly using sports as a bridge to the world. This conversation explored how local leaders transform sporting platforms into engines for economic growth, global visibility, and cultural connection. As municipalities from Los Angeles to Kansas City and Washington, DC redefine what it means to be a “host city,” they are leveraging sports diplomacy to cultivate international partnerships, engage diverse communities, and leave lasting local legacies.
Speakers:
Lisa Osborne Ross | Meridian International Center Trustee and former U.S. CEO, Edelman (Moderator)
The Hon. Muriel Bowser | Mayor, Washington, D.C.
The Hon. Quinton Lucas | Mayor, Kansas City
Dilpreet Sidhu | Deputy Mayor of International Affairs, Los Angeles, CA
Sports for Development
Sports for development harnesses the power of play to expand opportunity, build confidence, and strengthen communities in places facing inequity and division. From professional clubs and leagues investing in local courts and clinics to nonprofits using sport to bridge racial, national, and socioeconomic divides, strategic, values-driven initiatives are transforming how young people see themselves and one another. Through after-school leagues, leadership training, and peace education, these efforts help youth build skills that travel from the court to the classroom and into civic life—improving academic performance, health outcomes, and pathways to leadership and community impact at home and across borders.
Speakers:
Fast Lanes and Global Gains: Formula 1's Economic and Diplomatic Growth
Formula 1 has evolved far beyond the racetrack, becoming a global platform for cultural exchange, economic growth, and international collaboration. This panel explored how the world’s most prestigious motor sport influences community engagement, tourism, investment, and diplomacy across continents. As F1 expands into new markets and cities, it brings opportunities to strengthen local economies, showcase national identity, and foster cross-cultural understanding. Examine how global sports like Formula 1 serve as a model for leveraging shared values, innovation, and connectivity both on and off the track.
Speaker:
Aba Kwawu | President, TAA PR (Moderator)
His Excellency Shaikh Abdulla bin Rashid Al Khalifa | Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United States
Her Excellency Maguy Maccario | Ambassador of the Principality of Monaco to the U.S. and Canada
Stefanie Williams | Deputy Assistant Secretary for Professional and Cultural Exchanges, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Remarks by Meridian's T.K. Harvey
Speaker:
Courts Without Borders: The NBA's Global Impact
From Africa to Asia, Europe to the Americas, the NBA’s global expansion has transformed the league into a powerful vehicle for soft power, economic opportunity, and social inclusion. With initiatives like the Basketball Africa League (BAL), the NBA is partnering with African nations to develop talent pipelines, invest in local infrastructure, and showcase emerging markets on a global stage. Examine how the NBA’s international footprint advances cross-cultural understanding, elevates athletes as ambassadors, strengthens bilateral ties, and opens new channels for youth engagement, trade, investment, and cultural exchange.
Introduction
The Hon. Randi Levine | Meridian International Center Trustee and U.S. Ambassador to Portugal (2022-2025)
Speakers
Mark Tatum | Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer, NBA
Maxwell Millington | Entertainment Reporter, Axios (Moderator)
Game-Changing Capital Fueling Women's Sports
From arenas to boardrooms, today’s leading sports investors are redefining what it means to drive change through sport. Investors are serving as modern-day diplomats, bridging cultures, fostering global partnerships, and advancing inclusive economic growth through the rapid rise of women’s sports. As capital flows into women’s teams, leagues, and media, investment in women’s sports is unlocking new markets, reshaping fan bases, and elevating women athletes as global ambassadors for equity and opportunity. As the intersection of capital and culture continues to evolve, explore strategies to close the investment gap, build sustainable business models, and harness women’s sports as a powerful platform for gender equity, cultural diplomacy, and sustainable development worldwide.
Speakers:
Michelle Freeman | Minority Owner, Monumental Sports & Entertainment
Kelsey Trainor | Advisor, Athena Global Advisors
Rick Wade | U.S. Chamber of Commerce (Moderator)
Jason Wright | Managing Partner and Head of Investments, Project Level®
Fields of Engagement: Military Sports and Global Diplomacy
In the shadow of battlefields, sports become fields of reconciliation where former adversaries don jerseys instead of uniforms, forging bonds that formal diplomacy often cannot. This panel delved into the profound human stories behind military sports diplomacy: from the Remembrance Bowl in Normandy, where U.S. Airborne divisions play flag football on D-Day beaches to honor shared sacrifices with international partners, to the World Military Games uniting over 130 nations' forces under CISM's "Friendship through Sport" motto. Explore how these encounters build trust, reshape perceptions, and open channels for de-escalation in tense regions, transforming warriors into teammates and proving sport's power to heal divides where politics falters.
Introduction
Brad Snyder | Paralympic 6-Time Gold Medalist, United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee Board Member
Speakers
Michelle Strauss | Chairman, Strauss Family Office and Founder, The Remembrance Project
David Koerner | Co-Chair, 2027 Military World Games Charlotte
Travis Murphy | CEO of Jetr Global Sports + Entertainment (Moderator)
A Conversation with FIFA President Gianni Infantino
Explore the evolving role of global football in diplomacy, development, and the international economy. In this fireside chat, President Infantino reflected on how FIFA is leveraging the world’s most popular sport to advance social impact, expand access and inclusion, and engage new generations of fans and partners across regions. The discussion will also examine the future of major tournaments, shifting geopolitical and commercial dynamics around the global game, and the opportunities for collaboration with governments, the private sector, and civil society to ensure football remains a powerful platform for connection and global understanding.
Introduction
Deborah Lehr | Interim CEO, Meridian International Center
Speakers
Gianni Infantino | President, FIFA
The Hon. Henry M. Paulson Jr. | 74th Secretary of the U.S. Treasury and Chairman of The Paulson Institute
This program was made possible with support from:
Project summary
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