STATE DEPT & ESPNW: 2024 GLOBAL SPORTS MENTORS

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Today marks the beginning of the 2024 Global Sports Mentoring Program (GSMP), a public-private collaboration between the U.S. Department of State and espnW.

This ini­tia­tive brings togeth­er inter­na­tion­al women in sports with top Amer­i­can sports exec­u­tives, har­ness­ing the pow­er of men­tor­ship to inspire growth, lead­er­ship, and inclu­sion in sports across the globe.

Now in its 13th year, the GSMP has estab­lished a glob­al net­work of women com­mit­ted to dri­ving change through sports. This year, 15 emerg­ing women lead­ers from coun­tries such as Azer­bai­jan, Brazil, New Zealand, and Tan­za­nia will be paired with Amer­i­can men­tors from orga­ni­za­tions like the NFL, NCAA, ESPN, and the U.S. Ten­nis Asso­ci­a­tion. These pair­ings aim to fos­ter pro­fes­sion­al growth, build net­works, and cre­ate oppor­tu­ni­ties for young women and under­rep­re­sent­ed groups in sports.

Over the next few weeks, these dynam­ic part­ner­ships will focus on skill devel­op­ment, lead­er­ship train­ing, and capac­i­ty build­ing. When the par­tic­i­pants return to their home coun­tries, they will imple­ment action plans with the con­tin­ued sup­port of their men­tors. These ini­tia­tives will address key chal­lenges, from open­ing up sports oppor­tu­ni­ties for mar­gin­al­ized youth to pro­mot­ing eco­nom­ic equi­ty and inclu­sion in their com­mu­ni­ties.

With this year’s cohort, the GSMP now proud­ly boasts a net­work of 177 women from 74 coun­tries, all work­ing to expand access and oppor­tu­ni­ties in sports. For more infor­ma­tion, con­tact eca-press@state.gov.