Washington, DC - Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan and Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs I. Steven Goldstein will welcome the gold medal-winning 2018 U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team to the State Department on March 2, 2018.

The team, fresh off their Olympic victories in PyeongChang, will be recognized for their efforts to empower women and girls around the world through sports. The event will highlight how sports are advancing people-to-people relations around the world, especially through the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Sports Diplomacy initiatives.

Also delivering remarks will be Senior Vice President of the National Hockey League (NHL) Susan Cohig and Olga Dolinina, a 2014 Ukrainian alumna of the U.S. Department of State and espnW Global Sports Mentoring Program (GSMP). Cohig is a longstanding mentor for GSMP, which pairs emerging global leaders in sports with American female executives to create opportunities for a new generation of girls through sports. Also in attendance will be Hilary Knight, one of Team USA’s forwards, who was a 2014 State Department Sports Envoy to Belarus.

While in the area, as part of Hockey Weekend Across America, the team will also be celebrated at the NHL Stadium Series game between the Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs on March 3 at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland.