WEBVTT

00:00.430 --> 00:03.350
Okay , so my eyes are on the clock . So

00:03.350 --> 00:05.800
I'm gonna talk fast because you know ,

00:05.800 --> 00:08.370
you're not here for me or even for mary

00:08.380 --> 00:10.770
or for scott , you're here to watch the

00:10.770 --> 00:13.600
game . Um you may have noticed .

00:19.710 --> 00:22.980
So thank you scott . Um and thanks to

00:22.990 --> 00:26.250
everyone in our Bureau of Education and

00:26.250 --> 00:28.194
Cultural Affairs and our Office of

00:28.194 --> 00:30.630
Protocol for organizing this event . We

00:30.630 --> 00:32.820
are really fortunate to have so many

00:32.820 --> 00:34.940
distinguished guests with us today .

00:34.950 --> 00:36.780
There's our diplomatic corps ,

00:41.260 --> 00:43.670
there's a superstar on the field and in

00:43.670 --> 00:45.710
sports diplomacy mary harvey

00:48.690 --> 00:50.810
their staff from across the state

00:50.810 --> 00:52.977
Department , representing nearly every

00:52.977 --> 00:55.500
corner of this agency . Your staff

00:58.680 --> 01:02.320
And among them is one incredible

01:02.330 --> 01:05.990
member of our team . Walter walter .

01:05.990 --> 01:09.690
Where are you ? Oh okay , walter .

01:09.690 --> 01:11.912
Come come forward walter . So everybody

01:11.912 --> 01:15.690
can see you Walter Devonish who can

01:15.690 --> 01:19.230
boast what nobody else here can

01:19.240 --> 01:22.600
he actually played in a World Cup

01:22.610 --> 01:25.380
qualifying match when he suited up for

01:25.380 --> 01:28.000
his native Guyana over 40 years ago .

01:28.010 --> 01:29.954
He works here at the Department of

01:29.954 --> 01:32.280
State Walter . It is a real privilege

01:32.280 --> 01:33.430
to have you here .

01:42.190 --> 01:45.120
So we never know who works with us ,

01:46.520 --> 01:48.370
no matter where we're from . As

01:48.370 --> 01:50.370
everyone said , soccer has played a

01:50.370 --> 01:53.020
role in all our lives for me . It goes

01:53.020 --> 01:55.187
back to taking my daughter to practice

01:55.187 --> 01:57.530
from age seven when she and her best

01:57.530 --> 01:59.586
friend were the only two girls on an

01:59.586 --> 02:01.586
all boys team . She learned to play

02:01.586 --> 02:04.140
very aggressive soccer through high

02:04.140 --> 02:06.800
school bringing orange slices and

02:06.800 --> 02:08.790
snacks for her team to enjoy after

02:08.790 --> 02:12.250
games and feeling such joy

02:12.260 --> 02:15.240
watching her coach , my two grandsons

02:15.240 --> 02:18.760
today . I also remember soccer showing

02:18.760 --> 02:21.130
up in a very different context amidst

02:21.140 --> 02:25.030
negotiations over the Iran deal . No

02:25.030 --> 02:28.820
joke . It was july 2014 and we were

02:28.820 --> 02:31.940
holed up in the Coburg Hotel in Vienna ,

02:31.950 --> 02:34.810
as some might recall , there were a few

02:34.810 --> 02:37.000
disagreements to iron out in those

02:37.000 --> 02:40.730
talks , but on one item , everyone was

02:40.740 --> 02:43.800
on the same page . We had to schedule

02:43.810 --> 02:46.410
our meetings around the semi final

02:46.420 --> 02:50.130
between Germany and brazil . Trust me ,

02:50.140 --> 02:53.700
no one dissented on this provision . By

02:53.700 --> 02:55.760
the time the ref placed the ball at

02:55.760 --> 02:57.930
center field or as the british call it

02:57.930 --> 03:00.500
madam ambassador , the pitch , we were

03:00.500 --> 03:03.330
all glued to our televisions . It was a

03:03.330 --> 03:06.180
light moment in a serious time yet it

03:06.180 --> 03:08.400
was a reminder of what sports can do

03:08.400 --> 03:10.733
that my colleagues have spoken of today ,

03:10.733 --> 03:13.070
how sports can be a unifying force and

03:13.070 --> 03:15.480
a universal language , how sports can

03:15.480 --> 03:17.750
transcend borders , challenge gender

03:17.750 --> 03:20.140
stereotypes and teach the value of fair

03:20.140 --> 03:24.010
play , perhaps most important sports ,

03:24.130 --> 03:26.530
and still something in young people ,

03:26.540 --> 03:28.640
confidence and cooperation ,

03:28.650 --> 03:30.950
communication and teamwork ,

03:30.960 --> 03:34.150
persistence and determination and girls

03:34.150 --> 03:36.050
learn to throw a sharp elbow if

03:36.050 --> 03:39.500
necessary . It can show us how to

03:39.500 --> 03:42.280
persevere how to come back when you

03:42.280 --> 03:45.440
fall behind , how to win , how to

03:45.440 --> 03:48.650
lose , how to lose with

03:48.660 --> 03:51.340
grace and treat an opponent with

03:51.350 --> 03:54.190
dignity . It can lift up the message of

03:54.190 --> 03:56.810
our common humanity that we are all one

03:56.810 --> 03:59.010
human family , no matter your race ,

03:59.020 --> 04:01.600
ethnicity or religion , no matter your

04:01.600 --> 04:04.560
sexual orientation or gender identity ,

04:04.570 --> 04:08.370
just as in the beautiful game on the

04:08.370 --> 04:11.240
field and on our planet . Everyone has

04:11.240 --> 04:13.407
a chance to make their mark . Everyone

04:13.407 --> 04:16.910
is valued and everyone belongs .

04:17.390 --> 04:19.557
These are life lessons that apply in a

04:19.557 --> 04:22.070
soccer match just as much as they do in

04:22.070 --> 04:23.990
a workplace , in government , in

04:23.990 --> 04:26.870
business anywhere . These are certainly

04:26.870 --> 04:29.270
lessons we can and should apply in the

04:29.270 --> 04:31.730
realm of foreign affairs . That's why

04:31.730 --> 04:33.897
we are so invested in sports diplomacy

04:33.897 --> 04:36.008
programs here at the State Department

04:36.008 --> 04:37.680
efforts that help us reach

04:37.690 --> 04:40.330
underrepresented populations worldwide

04:40.340 --> 04:43.210
and advance the principles of diversity ,

04:43.220 --> 04:46.640
equity , inclusion and accessibility .

04:46.950 --> 04:49.840
More than half of these initiatives are

04:49.840 --> 04:52.007
driven by the commitments enshrined in

04:52.007 --> 04:54.780
the americans with disabilities act and

04:54.790 --> 04:56.568
title nine . Perhaps one of the

04:56.568 --> 04:58.790
greatest things ever passed here in the

04:58.790 --> 05:01.280
United States . At least a quarter of

05:01.280 --> 05:03.290
our exchanges are designed to

05:03.290 --> 05:05.512
strengthen our work around human rights

05:05.512 --> 05:08.080
of G B T . Q I plus inclusion and

05:08.080 --> 05:10.660
racial justice . These programs find us

05:10.660 --> 05:12.980
empowering women and girls and building

05:12.980 --> 05:15.220
ties between athletes and coaches

05:15.220 --> 05:17.660
worldwide . These efforts , I keep

05:17.660 --> 05:20.340
looking at my watch these efforts , see

05:20.340 --> 05:22.790
us deploying athletic legends as

05:22.790 --> 05:25.200
goodwill on voice across the globe .

05:25.210 --> 05:28.260
Stars like mary , harvey and olympic

05:28.260 --> 05:31.330
champions like Michelle Kwan , who once

05:31.330 --> 05:33.120
served as a public diplomacy

05:33.120 --> 05:35.690
representative at the State Department

05:35.850 --> 05:38.880
and now serves as our ambassador to

05:38.880 --> 05:42.130
Belize sports diplomacy

05:42.590 --> 05:46.200
in short helps us connect with people

05:46.200 --> 05:50.050
of all ages , all nationalities and all

05:50.050 --> 05:53.410
backgrounds in a unique way . We see

05:53.410 --> 05:56.780
each other in a new light and they see

05:56.780 --> 06:00.480
our country as a teammate . We find

06:00.490 --> 06:03.470
areas of common ground . That's the

06:03.470 --> 06:05.850
power of sports . Indeed , I'm gonna

06:05.850 --> 06:08.017
ask my grandson's over thanksgiving to

06:08.017 --> 06:10.830
turn in their Pokemon cards for Panini

06:10.830 --> 06:14.740
stickers . That's the best

06:14.750 --> 06:18.650
of diplomacy . So now before we

06:18.650 --> 06:21.620
tune into a match , there's one more

06:21.620 --> 06:24.380
important bit of business to handle the

06:24.380 --> 06:26.570
all important wager between myself and

06:26.570 --> 06:28.792
my colleagues from the United Kingdom .

06:29.290 --> 06:32.390
Earlier today , I met with Britain's

06:32.390 --> 06:34.770
deputy head of Mission James Roscoe ,

06:34.780 --> 06:38.570
who is from Wales and we made it

06:38.570 --> 06:42.260
official . If Wales manages to win ,

06:42.350 --> 06:44.620
I'll present him with a bottle of

06:44.620 --> 06:47.990
american bourbon . But when our

06:47.990 --> 06:49.650
players prevail ,

06:51.530 --> 06:54.840
James will owe me a selection of welsh

06:54.850 --> 06:58.740
whiskey to mark the occasion . I'll

06:58.740 --> 07:01.490
simply warn you though , President

07:01.490 --> 07:03.546
biden likes to say and I know you've

07:03.546 --> 07:06.540
heard it . It's never been a good bet

07:06.550 --> 07:10.320
to bet against America . I

07:10.320 --> 07:14.290
sure hope he's right . Go team

07:14.290 --> 07:16.380
U . S . A . And thank you for being

07:16.380 --> 07:18.324
here . Let's all enjoy the match .

07:18.324 --> 07:18.910
Thank you