Local students who went to China this spring for a “pickleball diplomacy” trip will be guests at the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C. on Saturday.
Xie Feng, Ambassador of China to the U.S., will welcome the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) students.
In April, about 30 student-athletes went to China for a 12-day, 3-city pickleball tour in Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Beijing.
Students made lifelong friends and became ambassadors for “pickleball diplomacy,” which mirrors the phrase “ping-pong diplomacy” that described the exchange of table tennis players between the U.S. and China in the 1970s.
“The people that I met are definitely my favorite part,” rising junior Haley Corkery told MCM earlier this month. “I still keep in contact with some of them today and I think that’s just something that will last forever.”
Earlier this month, the students premiered a documentary from their travels.
MCM attended the documentary premiere at the Washington, D.C. home of Chinese dignitaries who also hosted the students in Beijing. The documentary, filmed by MCPS-TV, is available on the MCPS YouTube Channel in both English and Chinese.
Watch MCM’s coverage from the premiere:
The students’ trip to China got the attention of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who responded to a letter of gratitude from MCPS Systemwide Athletics Director Dr. Jeffrey Sullivan.
