Table Tennis

Table Tennis originated in the 1880s in England.

At the time it was an amusement for upperclass Victorians rather than the sport that it is turned into in current times.

Surprisingly enough, table tennis is one of the most popular sports in the world, with more people playing it than most other sports.

It is particularly popular in China, Japan and Korea.

As the popularity of table tennis grew, more more manufacturers started making equipment that became increasingly sophisticated.

Many people know table tennis by the name of ping-pong which was a phrase coined from the sound of the original paddles as they hit the ball.

The name ping-pong was later trade marked by an English manufacturer and the game of ping-pong was specifically for people who used that manufacturers equipment.

All other games were still called table tennis.

While the original paddles were made from parchment stretched over a frame, they were later developed into wooden blades with stippled rubber glued to them.

Another major development is the change to lightweight celluloid balls that were discovered in the United States.

The other major change that occurred was in the 1950s, when rackets gained an underlying sheet of sponge which dramatically changed the way the game was played.

This allowed for a much faster game and the ability to spin the ball.

In 1988, table tennis was introduced as a sport into the Olympics.

With the increasing popularity the International Table Tennis Federation decided to slow the sport down to make it more spectator friendly.

This was achieved by increasing the size of the balls from 30mm to 40 mm.

There are ongoing developments in the sport, and in some instances people are using a 44 mm ball to slow the game down yet again.

There's also a push by some people to return to the origins of the sport by using hardbat table tennis rackets.

Whether this gains in popularity is yet to be seen, but many people are finding it difficult to keep up the speed of the sport both as spectators and as participants.

By: Graeme Ramsey