To begin, Ping-Pong, also known as Table tennis, is the most popular racquet sport in the world, ranking second in terms of participation.
It should be mentioned that the game first gained popularity at the 1926 London Olympics, but due to some sport-related issues, it had to wait until 1988 to compete in the Seoul Olympics. With all of the difficulties the game has faced to gain worldwide recognition, it is deserving of admiration.
Here are some fascinating table tennis facts:
1. Table tennis originated in the United Kingdom. Although the origins of table tennis are unknown, historians believe it originated in Victorian England. Great Britain was very interested in the early Middle Ages. Tennis and other lawn sports were popular in the early Middle Ages in Great Britain. Table tennis Balls was later invented to bring the sport indoors.
2. Each year, over 10 million players compete in various table tennis tournaments, according to the Olympic world library.
3. There have been three eras in the sport. The hard bat era, which lasted from the 1920s until the 1950s, was the first. Rubber rackets with pimples were popular at the time. The tables were also frequently refinished, and the net was 6.75 inches high. Because of these unfavourable characteristics, it took more than an hour to settle a single point during the 1936 World Championship in Prague. As a result, the ITTF reduced the net size to 6 inches in 1938, and the finger-spin serve, which was popular among American players at the time, was outlawed. The sponge bat era followed, with the invention of a hardwood racket wrapped in thick foam sponge rubber. Then there's the era of speed glue and tennis technology. A crucial feature of the game was the use of bicycle tyre repair adhesive. It boosted the paddle's spin and speed substantially. The invention was dubbed fast glue and was created by Tibor of Klampar of Hungary and Dragutin Surbek of Yugoslavia. Fast forward to now, and the innovation has been revived in a variety of ways, and it has been accepted across the board.
4. The first paddle and net were made from the back of a cigar box and a stack of books. The first ball was a champagne cork, which was unexpected.
5. After soccer and cricket, it is the third most popular sport in terms of participation.
6. Peter Ives and his son Daniel from England hold the Guinness World Record for the longest rally. Their rally had 32,000 hits in total. The father and son didn't even take a restroom break while playing for an astonishing 8 hours, 40 minutes, and 5 seconds.
7. During the hard bat era, the longest table tennis point was played for 2 hours and 12 minutes.
8. Hungary was the first country to dominate the sport, and it was also during the hard bat era.
9. In the year 1988, table tennis made its Olympic debut.
10. In terms of table tennis players, China is in the lead. There are 100 million table tennis players in the world. As a result, Asia is currently regarded as the most popular sports region in the world.
11. The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), which was founded in 1926, is the world's recognised governing body for the sport. The organisation has 226 members.
12. During the Cold War, the sport was instrumental in bringing the United States and China closer together. The sport was utilised to bridge the two nations' icy ties in 1971 when the cold war between China and the US was at its zenith. Two athletes from opposing countries were so nice to one another that instead of regarding one other with distrust, they swapped gifts. As a result, Chinese Mao invited the US table tennis team to visit China and paid for the entire trip. Under the tagline "Friendship First and Competition Second," a series of exhibition ping-pong matches were arranged. As a result, after so many years of continuous conflict, the United States and China were able to reconcile.
13. Janove Walder is regarded as the sport's top player. He was born in Sweden. He has the most medals of any player in history. He's also been dubbed the "Mozart of table tennis."
14. When it comes to table tennis, China is the most dominant force. World-class table tennis players have also come from Sweden and South Korea.
15. A modern table tennis table measures 76 cm in height, 1.525 m in width, and 2.74 m in length. The net, on the other hand, is 15.25 cm high and the ball is 40 mm in diameter.
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