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South China Normal University (SCNU), together with Peking University, Renmin University of China and other institutions, has been named among the first batch of 30 institutions selected as International Youth Pickleball People-to-People Exchange Base. SCNU is the only normal university on the list.
Marking the first anniversary of President Xi Jinping's reply to a message from a U.S. youth pickleball cultural exchange delegation from Maryland during its visit to China, the International Youth Pickleball People-to-People Exchange Base Project, initiated and implemented by the China Center for International People-to-People Exchange, released the list of the first batch of selected institutions. During the Hebi stop of the 2026 U.S. Youth Pickleball People-to-People Exchange China Tour (Phase II), the project held a symposium for selected base representatives and awarded certificates to the recipient institutions. More than 200 universities and institutions at various levels across the country applied for the project. Liu Guozheng, base expert, world table tennis champion and associate professor at Tsinghua University, attended the event.
Participants listen to the speaker carefully.
Chen Xiaofang, Deputy Secretary of the CPC SCNU Committee, delivers a speech.
Chen Xiaofang, Deputy Secretary of the CPC SCNU Committee, briefed attendees on SCNU’s history, progress in international exchanges, foundations for pickleball development, current achievements and future plans. She noted that with pickleball gaining growing popularity, SCNU has seized the opportunity and taken proactive measures. The university has built a full-chain pickleball talent development system covering teaching, research, training and competitions. SCNU will develop the “Perfect Match” brand matrix for China’s pickleball people-to-people exchanges with other countries. By hosting championships, friendly matches, tours and other activities and taking pickleball as a medium, SCNU will cultivate a new generation of envoys for China-foreign friendship.
Group photo of the participants.
With low entry barriers and strong appeal, pickleball has grown rapidly worldwide in recent years and emerged as a popular emerging racket sport. SCNU's School of Physical Education and Sports Science was among the first to establish a campus pickleball research center and competition system, making the university’s pickleball platform a regional leader and laying a solid foundation for its selection as one of the national bases. Taking this selection as an opportunity, SCNU will root its work in Guangdong, extend its reach nationwide and connect with the world. It will build an International Youth Pickleball People-to-People Exchange Base integrating teaching, training, research and cultural exchange to better promote sports and cultural exchanges and mutual understanding between Chinese and foreign young people.
Officials from SCNU's Pickleball Research Center and Office of International Exchange and Cooperation attended the event.
Source from the Office of International Exchange and Cooperation, SCNU
Translated by Zhong Yiting
Edited by Li Yiwei
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