01/31/2026
Sport is one of the few forces powerful enough to bring heads of state, global executives, cultural leaders, and innovators into the same room.
That power was on full display at inaugural Sports Diplomacy Forum, where sport, government, business, and culture converged to explore how global athletics has become a platform for diplomacy, influence, and international cooperation. From the FIFA World Cup trophy to conversations spanning Formula One, the World Cup, women’s sports investment, and global leadership, the energy in the room was undeniable.
I had the honor of leading the Formula One panel, moderating a fireside conversation on F1’s economic and diplomatic growth with
H.E. Maguy Maccario Doyle, Ambassador of Monaco to the United States,
H.E. Shaikh Abdulla bin Rashid Al Khalifa, Ambassador of Bahrain to the United States, and
Stefanie Williams, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Professional and Cultural Exchanges at the U.S. Department of State.
The broader forum brought together an extraordinary group of leaders including Gianni Infantino, Mayor Muriel Bowser, Alex Lasry, Michelle Freeman, Marjorie Harris, David Koerner, Zachary Leonis, Randi Charno Levine, Mayor Quinton Lucas, Rick C. Wade, Jason Wright, Brad Snyder, and The Honorable Henry M. Paulson Jr., alongside ambassadors, senior U.S. officials, investors, and heads of sport and business from around the world.
From Monaco’s nearly century-long Grand Prix legacy to Bahrain’s role as the first Formula One race in the Middle East, our conversation underscored a simple truth. Sport becomes soft power when it is built on intention, continuity, and credibility over time.
Grateful to Meridian for convening such a consequential inaugural gathering. This is the future of diplomacy.
🏁🌍
