U.S. Department of State organizes first ever hockey exchange with Russia

March 31, 2011

A delegation of 18 Russian hockey players and their coaches are currently touring the U.S. as part of the first ever hockey-themed cultural exchange with Russia organized by the U.S. Department of State.

These youth hockey players will be in New York City and Washington, D.C. from March 27 through April 8. In partnership with the National Hockey League, the cultural exchange program allows these young people to establish cultural ties with American youth using sports as a common interest. Not only will the hockey players engage with young Americans on the ice, but they will also visit classrooms and local communities for the purpose of strengthening cultural bonds between the U.S. and Russia.

Though this is the first ever hockey-themed exchange to occur between the two nations, three other sports exchanges have already taken place under the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission’s Education, Culture, Sports and Media Working Group. Furthermore, the exchange is one of many to have taken place between the U.S. and other nations under SportsUnited, the State Department’s premier sports exchange program. Since 2003, nearly 700 athletes from more than 40 countries have visited the U.S. on similar sports-themed cultural exchange programs to interact with local communities and the American youth within them to foster a greater cultural understanding between the U.S. and their countries of origin.

Cultural exchange has been increasingly recognized in recent years as a vital diplomatic tool as well as a means to equip younger generations to live their lives and develop their careers in a world that is more globalized every year. Government agencies are a leading host of cultural exchange programs. With the help of a cultural exchange organization to act as a student’s J-1 Visa sponsor, private employers can also host international students as temporary employees in their businesses.