U.S. Department of State, National Hockey League Partner for

[admin]

U.S. Department of State, National Hockey League Partner for First-Ever Ice Hockey Exchange with Russia


Media Note
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC

March 25, 2011




The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announced today that a Russian delegation of 18 youth hockey players and their coaches will participate in the first-ever ice hockey exchange March 27 – April 8 in Washington, D.C. and New York City. In partnership with the National Hockey League, the delegation will engage with their American counterparts on the ice, in the classroom, and in local communities. This is the fourth sports exchange conducted under the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission’s Education, Culture, Sports and Media Working Group.
While in the United States, the delegation will interact with local American school groups, participating in classroom activities and playing hockey with local teams. They will also meet with representatives from the National Hockey League. In addition, the delegation will engage with a local group that provides opportunities for youth with disabilities to play hockey.
Under the leadership of Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitri Medvedev, and coordinated by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the U.S.–Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission is dedicated to identifying areas of cooperation and joint projects that strengthen strategic stability, international security, and the development of ties between the Russian and American people. For more information on the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission, click here.
SportsUnited is the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ premier sports exchange program at the U.S. Department of State. SportsUnited programs aid youth in discovering how success in athletics can be translated into the development of life skills and achievement in the classroom. Since 2003, SportsUnited has brought nearly 700 athletes from more than 40 countries to the U.S. to participate in sports visitor programs. For more information, contact Talley Sergent, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State, at 202-632-6043.


PRN: 2011/475