MCPS Student-Athletes Premiere ‘Pickleball Diplomacy’ Documentary in Washington, D.C.

Pickleball Diplomacy: Student-Athletes to Ambassadors, a new documentary highlighting the international exchange of 30 student-athletes from Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), premiered July 12 during a red carpet event in Washington, D.C.

The event brought together the delegation following their April visit to Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing. The exchange, part of a broader initiative to bring 50,000 U.S. youth to China over five years, used sport, specifically pickleball, as a tool for cultural connection and diplomacy.

The documentary, now available on the MCPS YouTube channel, details how the student-athletes built cross-cultural friendships through sport and represented their schools as informal ambassadors abroad.

“We are excited about the premiere of our documentary Pickleball Diplomacy: From Student-Athletes to Ambassadors that showcases the profound impact of our pickleball exchange trip to China," said Dr. Jeffrey K. Sullivan, Director of Systemwide Athletics at MCPS. "We are also honored by the official response from Chinese President Xi Jinping and the support from the countless people who supported our delegation. This was and continues to be a life-changing experience, and I am extremely proud of our student ambassadors. Our students are the stars of the show—they continue to make the magic happen and bring Pickleball Diplomacy to life!”

 Chinese subtitles version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDRubHNfC-E

As the program continues to gain momentum, members of the delegation will be honored at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Aug. 2.