World sport – a nation’s passion Table Tennis

At china’s state-sponsored sports schools the next generation of table tennis stars can be found, paddles poised and deep in concentration.
Training for up to six hours a day, these young players are determined to reach the top of the sport proudly referred to in China as “national ball”.

Table tennis became popular in England in the late 19^th century as an indoor alternative to lawn tennis. Originally played by British army officers in India with the lids of cigar boxes as paddles and a carved champagne cork as a ball, the early game was known by a variety of names including Gossima, FlimFlam, Whiff-Whaff and Ping Pong.

Due to the sport’s rapid growth, the international table tennis Federation was formed in 1926 and the World Championships began in the same year, establishing the sport on the world stage.
The Chinese have dominated international competition since the lat 1950s. Table tennis became an Olympic sport in 1988 and China has won 13 of the 16 gold medals to date.

More than a nation sport, table tennis has played an important role in China’s diplomatic affairs.

In 1971, during the height of the Cold War, a visit by a group of American table tennis players to China set the stage for restoring harmonious relations with the People’s Republic. Dubbed “Ping Pong diplomacy,” it marked a turning point in US-Sino relations.

Today, table tennis is the world’s largest participation sport, with more than 40 million competitive players worldwide. For the young Chinese players training intensively each day, achieving international success is the ultimate dream.