On the afternoon of April 15, a friendly pickleball match was held on the playground of Shenzhen Nanshan Foreign Languages School (Group) High-tech Middle School.
Students from Shenzhen Nanshan Foreign Language School (Group) High-tech Middle School and Montgomery County Public School in Maryland, USA, put on Shenzhen school uniforms and competed in two teams. The atmosphere was warm and cheerful.
"Pickleball has brought us closer." Outside the stadium, Santiago Mario Tijman, a student at Churchill High School in Maryland, USA, also invited Shenzhen middle school students to play impromptu rugby.
"Everyone is very passionate about this game and will cheer for each other." Yao Feiyu, a freshman at Nanshan Foreign Languages High School, told reporters that he also exchanged mutual interests with the American students.
"We have been learning pickleball for more than a month. It is like table tennis and tennis. It is very interesting." said Sun Yuelin, a sophomore student at Nanshan Foreign Languages School (Group) High-tech Middle School.
After the game, Chinese and American students shouted "pickleball great!" together on the medal podium and exchanged gifts.
“Pickleball diplomacy” is happening
Chinese and American students forge friendship
Deep View News reporters noticed that many Chinese and American students left each other’s contact information and signed autographs on pickleball rackets.
"I will keep it!" A student from Nanshan Foreign Languages Senior High School excitedly showed it to reporters.
Zhao Hangzheng, a sophomore student at Nanshan Foreign Languages School (Group) High-tech Middle School, said that despite cultural differences in different countries, everyone worked closely together on the court, cultivating a tacit understanding and enhancing friendship.
Jeffrey Keith Sullivan, director of the physical education department of the Montgomery County School Board in Maryland, USA, is the leader of the American youth pickleball delegation to China. He told reporters: "'Pickleball diplomacy' is really happening, vivid and real. Through sports activities, the two countries are connected and friendship is forged. You can see this friendship flowing between Chinese and American students."
What is pickleball?
Pickleball was born in Seattle, USA in 1965. Since its debut as a performance event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, it has become popular all over the world. There are currently more than 30 million athletes in the United States. It is a well-deserved "national sport" and a popular Olympic candidate.
On October 18, 2017, China’s first Pickleball Association was established in Shenzhen, which kicked off the popularity of Pickleball in the country.
