体坛英语新闻：Former U.S. basketball stars to visit Jordan for sports diplomacy

WASHINGTON, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Former National Basketball Association (NBA) player Sam Vincent and Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) player Andrea Stinson will travel to Jordan for the U.S. effort on sports diplomacy, the State Department said on Monday.

The two will travel as sports envoys to Amman, Irbid and Zarqa of Jordan from Sunday to Friday, said the department, adding that they will conduct youth basketball clinics, work with disabled athletes, and meet with Jordanian sports officials.

"In addition, the sports envoys will visit with Jordanian students of the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and study Program and the English Access Microscholarship Program," the department said.

Sports diplomacy is part of State Secretary Hillary Clinton's vision of "smart power diplomacy," which embraces the use of a full range of diplomatic tools, according to the State Department.