The historic connection between Iowa and China, first forged through agricultural trade in yellow soybeans, has entered a new chapter this week, as a group of young Chinese athletes and delegates arrived in Oskaloosa, Iowa for the nine-day Musco Youth Sports Exchange, combining competitive softball play with immersive cultural exchange between Shanghai and local American youth.
The visiting delegation includes players from Shanghai’s Beisibao U13 girls’ softball team, alongside senior representatives from the Shanghai Baseball and Softball Association, the Shanghai Friendship Association, and the Shanghai Sports Federation. Over the course of their visit, the young athletes will compete against local youth teams, live with host families, and experience daily life in a small Midwestern American community, building personal connections that extend far beyond the softball diamond.
Launched just last year in 2025, the exchange program held its inaugural event in Shanghai, where more than 100 young athletes from China and the United States gathered to compete, share cultural experiences, and build cross-border friendships that have persisted into 2026. Organizers built on that successful first meeting to bring the program to Iowa this year, with the long-term goal of establishing a permanent, recurring platform to foster youth connection between the two countries.
Jeff Rogers, CEO of program sponsor Musco Lighting, emphasized that sports create an organic, low-barrier pathway to bring young people from different backgrounds together. Unlike traditional formal exchange programs, this initiative blends head-to-head competition with co-ed mixed teams made up of both Chinese and American players, giving athletes immediate opportunities to collaborate and bond both on and off the field. Rogers noted that the organization plans to expand the program beyond softball in coming years, exploring opportunities to add other popular sports including American football, pickleball, and tennis to the exchange roster.
“We like all sports, and we’ll continue to do youth exchange through sports,” Rogers told China Daily in an interview on site. “It’s not just softball. We’ll look at expanding into football, pickleball, tennis — wherever we can find the opportunity.”
Speaking at the program’s opening ceremony, Chinese Consul General in Chicago Wang Baodong, who threw out the ceremonial first pitch to mark the start of the exchange, encouraged the visiting Shanghai athletes to compete with respect for their opponents, embrace the chance to learn from their American peers, and carry the spirit of bilateral friendship forward into the future. Wang emphasized that personal connections forged between young people form the strongest foundation for positive China-U.S. relations long-term.
Oskaloosa Mayor David Krutzfeldt echoed that sentiment, noting that Iowa’s deep, decades-long ties with China are primed to grow through expanded grassroots cooperation and people-to-people exchanges like this program. Krutzfeldt called on the visiting athletes to fully immerse themselves in local Midwestern culture during their stay, and experience the hospitality of the Oskaloosa community firsthand.
“You’re going to truly immerse yourselves in American culture and experience what life is like in the Midwest United States. I expect you will experience firsthand the genuine warmth of our community,” Krutzfeldt said. “Our relationship with China is one that needs to be enhanced, needs to be warmer. We have much to offer one another.”
Recalling Iowa’s early efforts to build formal and informal ties with China dating back decades, Krutzfeldt added that he remains optimistic about the future of bilateral exchange, and hopes to see people-to-people connections deepen further in the years ahead.
Two-time Olympic softball medalist Michele Smith, who attended the opening ceremony, shared her perspective on the unifying power of the sport, noting that softball has long served as a common ground for athletes from China and the United States, dating back to the two countries’ iconic matchup at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Smith emphasized that even with language and cultural differences, shared love of a sport creates immediate common ground for young athletes to connect.
“It’s a great sport for girls around the world,” Smith said. “Sport helps people connect despite differences in language and culture, allowing athletes to build lasting friendships. Sport brings everybody together, and it reminds us we’re similar. We might grow up in different cultures and speak different languages, but we play the same sport. We meet each other, we stay in touch, and especially nowadays, the young athletes can continue to communicate even after the trip is over.”
Sarah Lande, one of Iowa’s most prominent long-standing advocates for China-U.S. ties who is widely recognized as an “old friend” of China, emphasized that the future of the bilateral relationship depends entirely on the next generation carrying forward the spirit of friendship and connection. Lande expressed hope that exchange programs like this will expand to give more young people from both countries the chance to interact and build personal bonds.
“I wish the whole world could get together this way,” Lande said. “Once we get young people playing together and understanding other countries, that’s what that going to keep the future world together. As it spreads, we can have these young people share it.”