The history of table tennis
This article will tell you history of table tennis. Table tennis is a popular ball sport in the world, including attack, confrontation and defense. The competition is divided into several types, such as team, singles and doubles. Before September 1, 2001, each game was 21 points, but now it is 11 points. The system adopts best of five games and best of seven games.
Table tennis is spherical, weighs 2.53-2.70 grams, is white or orange, and is made of celluloid or plastic. In 1926, the International Table Tennis Invitational Tournament was held in Berlin, Germany, which was later recognized as the first World Table Tennis Championships. At the same time, the International Table Tennis Federation was established.
Table tennis, known as China’s “national ball”, is a world-popular ball sport that includes attack, confrontation and defense. Table tennis originated in the UK. The name “ping pong” originated in 1900 and was named because of the “ping pong” sound it makes when hitting. In mainland China, “ping pong” is its official name, as are Hong Kong and Macau.
In January 1926, an international table tennis match was held in Berlin, Germany, with 64 male athletes from 9 countries participating. December 1926, the International Table Tennis Federation was formally established and named the European Championships held in London as the first World Table Tennis Championships. Table tennis organizations include the International Table Tennis Federation, the Asian Table Tennis Federation, and the Chinese Table Tennis Association.
Basic Information
- Name: Table tennis
- Foreign name: Table tennis, ping pong
- category: Singles, Doubles, Mixed Doubles, Team
- Origin time: Late 19th century
- Related events: Olympic Games, World Table Tennis Championships, World Cup
- Table tennis material: Plastic balls made from high molecular polymers
History
Since the first World Table Tennis Championships was held in 1926, table tennis, a 19th century “court game”, has undergone tremendous changes and developed into a competitive sport spread across five continents of the world. It was include as an official Olympic event in 1988.
Around 1890, when English athlete James Gibb traveled to the United States, he brought back a hollow celluloid toy ball invented by an American named Hyatt , which had a strong bounce. After a slight improvement, it was gradually promote in Britain and around the world .
From 1900 to 1902 , table tennis was introduce to Japan and then to China.
In the early 20th century , shortly after the Meiji Restoration in Japan, many Japanese industrial and commercial enterprises set up commercial institutions in coastal cities of China and promoted a large number of products to the Chinese market. As a result, table tennis was introduce to China along with the frequent exchanges between Japanese commerce .
In 1904, table tennis was introduce to Shanghai, China from Japan. Wang Daowu, the owner of a stationery store in Shanghai, bought 10 sets of table tennis equipment from Japan. From then on, table tennis was introduce to China.
[The first stage (1926-1951) The heyday of European table tennis]
From 1926 to 1951, 18 World Table Tennis Championships were held. The participating teams were mainly from Europe. Hungary won 57.5 championships, Czechoslovakia won 25.5 , and Britain won 10. In addition to Europe, the United States won 8. During this period, European teams had an absolute advantage.
[The Second Stage ( 1952-1959) The Japanese Team Shocked the World Table Tennis Arena]
The Japanese Table Tennis Association joined the International Table Tennis Federation in 1928 and participated in the World Table Tennis Championships , winning four championships in women’s team , men’s singles, men’s doubles and women’s doubles . During this period, seven World Table Tennis Championships (19th to 25th) were held, producing a total of 49 gold medals, with the Japanese team winning 24 of them. The Japanese team’s outstanding performance shifted the dominance of table tennis from Europe to Asia.
[The third stage (1959-1969 ) The rise of the Chinese team and the emergence of the North Korean team]
In 1959, Chinese athlete Rong Guotuan won . From 1961 to 1965, the Chinese team won 11 championships with its unique playing style . Among them, in the 28th Championships in 1965, the Chinese team won 5 championships, reaching the first peak in the history of Chinese sports teams; it marked that both the Chinese men’s and women’s teams had entered the ranks of the world’s advanced countries.
In the late 1960s , the Chinese team did not participate in the 29th and 30th World Table Tennis Championships. In the 29th competition, the North Korean men’s team defeated the European powerhouses in succession and won the team runner-up, and the women’s team also became one of the world’s strong teams .
[The fourth stage ( 1971-1979) European teams revived and Chinese teams regrouped]
At the 31st World Table Tennis Championships, a large number of talented young players emerged from Europe . The 19-year-old Bengtsson of the Swedish team defeated the strong players of the Chinese and Japanese teams in succession and won the men’s singles championship in one fell swoop. At the 32nd World Table Tennis Championships, the Swedish men’s team broke the 20-year record of the team championship in Asia. At the 33rd World Table Tennis Championships, the men’s singles final was held . The Chinese team regained the men’s and women’s team championships at the 33rd and 34th World Table Tennis Championships.
[The fifth stage (1981-1988) The Chinese team reached the top of the world, and the world table tennis scene evolved into a situation where “China beats the world”]
In 1981, the Chinese team won 7 championships and 5 runner-ups in individual events at the 36th World Table Tennis Championships, creating an unprecedented record of one country winning all championships in the world table tennis world in 55 years. However , at the 40th World Table Tennis Championships in 1989, the performance fell to a low point, and the men’s team lost the team, singles and doubles championships. Throughout the 1980s, the Chinese men’s team went from climbing to the top of the world to falling to the bottom , all as a result of playing against European teams.
[ The sixth stage (1991-) ” The World vs. China” achieved remarkable results, with Europe leading by 5-6 years. The Chinese team got out of the trough and climbed to the top again.]
Since table tennis was included in the Olympic Games in 1988, the professionalization has develop rapidly. Which has greatly promoted the development of European table tennis technology. At the 41st World Table Tennis Championships, the European men’s team won the top 5 team places . The European men’s team, led by Sweden, has been ahead of Asian teams . The Chinese men’s team got out of the trough and first broke through in the men’s doubles event.
Starting from the third place in the 40th World Table Tennis Championships. It has risen to the gold, silver and bronze medals in the men’s doubles and the gold medal in the mixed doubles in the 42nd World Table Tennis Championships. At the 43rd World Table Tennis Championships, after winning the championship in 1981. The Chinese team once again rose from the trough after 14 years, winning 7 championships in all competitions, truly climbing to the top and creating glory again.
Since Rong Guotuan won the first world championship in 1959. The Chinese table tennis team has won more than 100 world championships in the world’s three major competitions in the past 50 years, creating a rare history of long-lasting prosperity .
Requirements to play
Site/ venue
The floor area of a tennis court is not less than 36.6 meters long and 18.3
meters wide. Within this area , the effective tennis court is a rectangular area with a length of 23.77 meters. A width of 8.23 meters for singles and 10.97 meters for doubles. The net posts install on both sides of the court are used to support the net. The distance between the net posts is 12.80 meters. The distance between the top of the net posts and the ground is 1.07
meters, and the height of the midpoint of each side of the net post from the ground is 0.914 meters. In a tennis court, the color of the court lines is generally white or yellow. Except for the maximum width of the end line. Which can reach 10 cm, the width of all other court lines should be between 2.5
cm and 5 cm.
Ball
The match ball is yellow, made of rubber compound. Evenly covered with wool fibers , with no seams. The diameter of the ball is 6.35-6.67 cm and the weight is 56.7-58.5 grams.
Racket
Rackets can be make of wood, aluminum alloy, steel, or composite (nylon, carbon). Any material can be use in the game. The hitting surface of the racket must be flat, made up of strings woven. The composition format is exactly the same. Each string must be connect to the frame, and the total length of the frame and handle must not exceed 73.66 cm. The total width of the frame must not exceed 31.75 cm.
Lighting requirements
In order to ensure clear images for television broadcasts. The Olympic Games require a lighting level of 1500 to 2500 lux, and the lighting is the same. If a temporary light source is need for television broadcasts. The angle of the light source from the ceiling should be greater than 75 degrees. The lighting level in other parts must not be less than 1/2 of the lighting level of the competition table. The light source must be no less than 5 meters from the ground . The surroundings of the venue should generally be dark in color. The lighting level in the audience seats should be significantly lower than that in the competition area . Avoid dazzling light sources and natural light from unshielded windows.
Equipment Specifications
Venue Specifications The competition area should be surrounded by a 0.75-meter-high baffle of the same dark color and separate from the adjacent competition area and the audience.
The competition area of each table is 8 meters by 16 meters. The venue is equipp with a table, a net, a ball, a baffle, a referee’s table, a referee’s chair, a scorer, etc. Each table must use at least two electronic scoreboards, and four are use in the finals.
The electronic scoreboard is place behind the two sides or in the four corners of the table tennis competition venue . The name of the player, the country on the board. So that the audience can clearly see the score in the stands. There is also a large electronic display screen in the gymnasium. That can be clearly see by all spectators, which can display relevant information of all table games at the same time.
In the final or when only one table is use, the referee uses a microphone. To facilitate the audience to watch the game . Equipment Specifications Table – 76 cm high, 2.74 meters long , 1.525 meters wide, dark green or blue in color. Net – 15.25 cm high, 15.25 cm , the same color as the table. Ball – matte white or orange, 40 mm in diameter, 2.7 g hard ball. Baffle – 0.75 m high, 1.4 or 2 m wide, the same color as the table. All equipment is specially approve and specified by the ITTF. The same brand of equipment must be use throughout the competition, including training facilities .
