The second installment of Montgomery County Public Schools' (MCPS) Pickleball Diplomacy initiative begins on Thursday in Maryland.

MCPS is hosting a delegation of students and staff from Shanghai through Feb. 7, during which they will visit local schools, tour the University of Maryland, College Park athletic facilities, visit JOOLA headquarters, attend school events, and play pickleball.

MCPS Athletic Director Jeff Sullivan and his student ambassadors will then travel to China from Feb. 13–24 to participate in educational, athletic, and cultural exchanges in four cities, including Shenzhen, Shangyou, Hebi, and Beijing, and celebrate the Chinese New Year and Spring Festival as well.

"It started about a year ago when the idea was pitched to me to use pickleball in a cultural exchange trip," said Sullivan, during a recent interview with reporter Harry Lichtman of Sports Illustrated. "MCPS was the first school district in the country to have pickleball as a varsity sport. We had a couple seasons of success, and I thought. 'Wow, this sport would be perfect for a cultural exchange initiative,' and certainly it has been."

MCPS remains the only school district in Maryland to feature high school pickleball. 

"We still may be the only one in the country," noted Sullivan. "I think some others have jumped on board, and I imagine others will be, because pickleball is just exploding in popularity."

Launched in 2025, the initiative proved to be especially memorable for the MCPS contingent.

"The word 'life-changing' continues to be used over and over again from our students," emphasized Sullivan. "Even for me, the trip was life-changing. It allowed us to see Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Beijing, and experience Chinese culture, which was awesome."

Following last year's cultural exchange, MCPS sent a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping expressing their gratitude and received a response acknowledging the impact of the Pickleball Diplomacy effort and the impact made by the student ambassadors.

MCPS delegation members were also honored guests at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC last summer to celebrate their efforts on both sides of the globe.

"It speaks to the potential of this initiative, and here we are on the cusp of hosting again and going back to China," explained Sullivan. "We hope that the dialogue continues, and we can be part of building positive relations. One thing that I've talked to our ambassadors about is this notion of the United States and China are two countries. The same principles apply domestically here in our own country, with our neighbors, in our school buildings."

MCPS also launched a Student-Led Athletics Media (SLAM) team made up of students who will produce and contribute to a documentary capturing the overall Pickleball Diplomacy experience.