The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) promoted sports diplomacy at a U.S. Independence Day celebration Thursday, featuring a performance by the Chicago Luvabulls cheerleaders and Taiwanese and American athletes, including the winner of this year's NBA Rookie of the Year Award.

A North Korean-led taekwondo organization will participate in a world taekwondo championship in South Korea opening Saturday, amid the Moon Jae-in administration seeking “sports diplomacy” to repair its relationship with North Korea. 

Assembled informally a few months ago by a handful of baseball-loving friends in Philadelphia's suburbs, predominantly Lower Merion, this self-funded team is set to embark on a goodwill sports trip to Cuba. [...] [T]hey want to be citizen-ambassadors at a time when President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to end the U.S.-Cuba rapprochement begun two years ago under President Obama, and the recent death of Fidel Castro has ratcheted up the political uncertainty in the island nation.

Even after a long flight and jet lag, 11 female, Iraqi athletes and three coaches arrived to the United States this December bright-eyed and ready for an empowering experience. They were eager to listen, ask questions, and talk about their backgrounds as teenage soccer players and students in Iraq. Although most of the young women met for the first time at the airport, coming from three different cities -- Baghdad, Kirkuk, and Erbil -- they already acted like teammates.

Youth hockey players from across the US have arrived in Russia to take part in a trading program between the two nations and meet up with their idols, Ilya Kovalchuk and Pavel Datsyuk. ­The Russian stars, who are playing in the KHL during the NHL lockout, are busy both on and off the ice.

"Sports diplomacy builds on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's vision of 'smart power,' embracing the full range of diplomatic tools, including sports, to bring individuals together to foster greater understanding," the State Department said.