On May 30th 2026, the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Washington, D.C. hosted students from the MCPS Pickleball Diplomacy Bronze delegation and their families for a documentary premiere. Students from the bronze delegation traveled to China in February to play pickleball as part of a diplomatic endeavor to bring students from different countries closer together. This trip is the second in the pickleball diplomacy program, with the first one occurring in April of 2025. Isabelle Strouble, a member of MCPS’s student-led athletic media team (SLAM) and a senior at Damascus High School, produced the documentary of the trip. The premier began with a student reunion, followed by remarks from Dr. Sullivan, director of systemwide athletics, and Xie Fang, the Chinese ambassador to the United States. Students also gave remarks on their experience and favorite memories from the trip. When interviewed by members of SLAM, Ryan Corkery, a freshman at the University of Maryland and a Sherwood High School graduate, said his favorite memory was playing pickleball and singing karaoke with students in Shenzhen, China. The evening concluded with a showing of the documentary, a buffet dinner, and the opportunity to play ping-pong at the embassy.