Can sports be the key to strengthen diplomatic ties between sovereign states? According to Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong, the so-called "basketball diplomacy" may very well be the solution for increased mutual understanding and friendship between Chinese and American citizens.

Like music and art, sports transcend various boundaries, and the Chinese Vice Premier believes it plays a significant role in people-to-people exchanges, particularly China-U.S. ties.

Next month, well-heeled punters will flock to the Qatar Goodwood Festival for one of the highlights of the British horse racing calendar.

New England Patriot’s owner Robert Kraft is in Israel this week along with 19 NFL Hall of Fame football stars as part of a special solidarity mission with the Jewish state.

“Touchdown in Israel: Mission of Excellence” is being sponsored by the Jewish billionaire, the first trip of its kind specific to former Pro Football Hall of Famers, ESPN reported.

Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong on Sunday called for more "basketball diplomacy" activities to strengthen mutual understanding and friendship between the Chinese and American peoples.

Liu made the appeal during a visit to NBA basketball team Houston Rockets' home field Toyota Center, where a group of Chinese student athletes from Tsinghua High School are working on a basketball training program.

She said sports are an important part in people-to-people exchanges, which have played a unique and significant role in China-U.S. ties.

At first glance, the 42 teenage boys going through drills and playing supervised pick-up games at Our Lady of the Lake University’s Mabee Gym appear to be cogs in the never-ending prep basketball machine. Clinics, fall leagues, AAU summer tournaments and camps such as this one fill the void between high school seasons. While many of the campers are from San Antonio and the Hill Country, others are from Romania, Macedonia and Kosovo.

American wrestler Jacob Curby died before he could fulfill his dream of competing in the Olympics. But a competition established in his name will mark another milestone in the accelerating sports diplomacy between Iran and the United States.

Swapping the lush green soccer fields of Australia for the arid dusty plains of Kenya, Adelaide United star Awer Mabil will make the long journey back to his birthplace at the Kakuma refugee camp to deliver hundreds of pairs of soccer boots and sports gear to children. Mabil said he was prompted to contribute in some way to the lives of the 180,000 refugees living in Kakuma after returning to visit last year and seeing scores of children playing soccer barefoot in the dirt.