• Arrive early to get in the game. Check in, grab a refreshment, and connect with fellow attendees before the program kicks off. It’s a warm-up for an afternoon of dynamic conversations and collaboration ahead. 

  • This opening session will frame the day’s Forum through the lens of Meridian’s 65-year legacy as a trusted convener across sectors, governments, and borders offering a forward-looking vision for the evolving architecture of global engagement through sport and the new actors shaping diplomacy in a complex international landscape. 

    Speaker

    Deborah Lehr | Interim CEO, Meridian International Center

  • 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

    Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff |  Sports Diplomacy Expert & Clinical Assistant Professor, NYU (Moderator)

    Alex Lasry | CEO, NY/NJ 2026 World Cup Host Committee

  • 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 | Monumental Sports

  • 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 explores 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

    Max Bouchet | Director, Center for State & Local Diplomacy, Meridian International Center (Moderator) 

    The Hon. Muriel Bowser | Mayor, Washington, D.C. 

    The Hon. Quinton Lucas | Mayor, Kansas City 

    The Hon. Dilpreet Sidhu | Deputy Mayor of International Affairs, Los Angeles Mayors Office

  • 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

    Marjorie Harris | Co-Founder, Harris Philanthropies 

    Eleanor Hawkins | Communications Strategist and Writer, Axios (Moderator) 

    Brendan Tuohey | Co-Founder and President, PeacePlayers International 

  • Formula 1 has evolved far beyond the racetrack, becoming a global platform for cultural exchange, economic growth, and international collaboration. This panel explores how the world’s most prestigious motor sport influences community engagement, 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 Formula 1 serves as a model for leveraging global sports to drive innovation, connectivity, and shared values on and off the track. 

     

    Speakers

    Aba Kwawu | President, TAA Public Relations (Moderator) 

    Her Excellency Maguy Maccario | Ambassador of Monaco 

  • Between sessions, attendees can step off the sidelines and into the action. Visit The Arcade to test your skills, refuel, and connect with future partners. This is where ideas gain momentum and relationships take shape off the field.

  • 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 | Ambassador to Portugal, United States (2022 - 2025)

    Speakers

    Mark Tatum | Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer, NBA 

    Maxwell Millington | Entertainment Reporter, Axios (Moderator) 

  • 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®

  • 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 delves 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 | U.S. Navy (Ret.), Paralympic Gold Medalist 

    Speakers

    Michelle Strauss | Chairman, Strauss Family Office, Founder, The Remembrance Project

    David Koerner | Co-founder and Co-owner, United States Performance Center 

    Travis Murphy | CEO of Jetr Global Sports + Entertainment (Moderator)

  • Explore the evolving role of global football in diplomacy, development, and the international economy. In this fireside chat, President Infantino will reflect 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. | Founder and Chairman, Paulson Institute; Majority Owner, Peregrine Sports

  • Speaker

    TK Harvey | Vice President, Culture and Sports Diplomacy, Meridian International Center 

  • Cap off the Forum with an Overtime Reception that keeps the conversation going. Continue connecting with speakers and fellow attendees over light refreshments, test your luck in The Arcade, and explore opportunities for future collaboration.

Agenda