Sports and the passion that surrounds it is a universal language. This summer, a widely anticipated basketball game in the capital city of Belarus pitted former NBA players against the national team of Belarus, but behind the picks, assists and dunks was an exercise in evangelism and diplomacy.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry, the country’s main agency for inter-Korean affairs, said an under-15 international soccer tournament in Pyongyang began on Friday and is proceeding as planned. The competition involves squads from countries that include China, Brazil and South Korea.

ASEAN members are focusing on important emerging issues in the region and have opted to approach them using soft diplomacy, with soccer as one of their tools. 

As US Secretary of State, John Kerry, reopens the American embassy in Havana, Will Grant reports on how skateboards are being used to establish bonds between the old enemies. NGO Cuba Skate is helping to strengthen that bond through skateboard diplomacy. 

It was for the first time since its formation in 2011 that players from the Tibet Women's Soccer team soared the skies and played on an international pitch last month. The Tibetan footballers-in-exile were invited to attend the Discover Football Beyond Borders festival in Berlin, Germany from June 27 to July 6. 

Since their fateful meeting the two teams have encountered one another on several occasions—most notably during the Opening Ceremony, when a delegate from Iran passed the torch to a delegate from Israel. Kirsten Suto Seckler, Chief Marketing Officer for the games said it was a deliberate decision by the Special Olympics organizing committee to “send a powerful message.”

China's capital might seem an unlikely place to find American football, but interest among China's youth is growing, according to Shen Yu, marketing director for Great Stone Gridiron. The private football club was Beijing's first when it was founded three years ago. Around 500 children participate, including about 150 in tackle football programs.