Origins & History

Ping pong is one of the most widespread sports in the world. It has more than 40 million competitors a year, being the sports activity that most Federated players have on the planet. And he wasn’t born in China but the British Isles.

Summary of the history of ping pong: the beginnings

The game of Table Tennis was born as a variant of tennis in 1870. And like many other sports, it took place in England. Many people believe that the origins are Asian, more specifically Chinese, but the truth is that it was created by the English upper class for its leisure moments. The fact is that at the end of the 19th century, a group of upper-middle-class people wanted to create a variant of tennis so that they could play it when bad weather, which is common in their country, prevented them from playing their favorite sport. They decided to use the dining tables to improvise a field to replace a tennis court — this upper Victorian class used at first a few books as a network.

They used the tops of cigar boxes, so fashionable then, as the first rackets and as balls they reused corks of champagne bottles to those who gave them a spherical shape. These data have been supported by Gerald Gurney and Ron Crayden, two of the most expert scholars in the history of Table Tennis. There is a version that places the creation of the game of table tennis in India, imagined by British officers in the decade of the ’70s or ’80s of the NINETEENTH century, and that what is “imported” to England on his return. Reference is also made to the use of books such as rackets and the use of golf balls such as balls.

It should be noted that the term “ping pong” is not the same as table tennis, even if we all use it as such. Table tennis refers to the game we have described while “ping pong” is a registered trademark concerning the sport of Table Tennis and its equipment.

Ping pong as registered name

The name “ping pong” was recorded by the English company J. Jaques and Son, in the late 19th century, and the American board games company, Parker Brothers, who purchased the rights and registered the name as a trademark in the USA. Ping pong was thus born as a trademark. And this name included the game of table tennis with the use of the equipment created by J. Jaques and son (apparently nothing cheap).

The reputation of the game brought the manufacturers of games to produce market equipment. The first rackets were mostly pieces of vellum spread over a frame. The generated sound in the game provided the game its first epithets or nicknames for “whiff-waff” and “ping-pong.” Several sources announced that this game drew the consideration of Hamley’s of Regent Street covered by the name “Gossima.”

The popularity of the game was increasing, and several manufacturers and businessmen began to create variations with new game names, such as “gossima” “whiff-whaff” or “ping pong.”

Advances and new materials – Balls old table tennis the history of table tennis

In 1901, James Gibb, an English table tennis enthusiast, on vacation to the USA, discovered celluloid balls and soon realized that they could be the ideal complement to playing ping pong. It was here that the name of ping pong came up because of the characteristic noise the ball made when bouncing off the board. The British engineer, James Gibb, gave him the way we know him today. Also in 1901, there was another breakthrough for the modern game of this sport: E. C. Goode created a recent version of a ping pong racket by incorporating a granulated rubber sheet.

The first paddles were often covered with sandpaper that gave each stroke a distinctive sound. In the 1950s, the rackets that were rubber sheeted and connected with an absorptive layer restored the game definitely, recommended more considerable spin and speed. These were presented to Great Britain by sporting equipment manufacturer S. W. Hancock Ltd. Table tennis quickly became fashionable. Many championships with big stakes began to be played.

In 1921 the Association of Table Tennis was established in England, with 500 players and 39 clubs. In 1926 the ITTF, the International Federation of Table Tennis, was created, which has been the organization that has governed the game ever since. In 1942 the Spanish Federation of Table Tennis was formed in Spain.

The first ping pong World Championship took place in 1926, in London. He was won by a Hungarian and began a stage of Hungarian domination in the competitions.

Regulatory Developments

The regulation of table tennis has been evolving since its inception. At the 1936 World Championship held in Prague, it was seen that the game system made the points last long and some games took hours to conclude. It was decided to unify the different regulatory regimes.

At first, they played 21-point games, the best of 3 games for doubles and the best of 5 games for singles. The style of the game and the materials of the time favored the defensive game, so the games were long and not as attractive as they could be. The 1950s changed the game entirely by the invention of the sponge or rubber sandwich, this new material for ping pong shovels that until now, had been used a rubber coating with protruding rubber. The thickness of the sponge and rubber sandwich was regulated and remained so to this day. But the nature of the game had changed, establishing the speed of fast attack and the spin style of the modern game. Effects, lifted, cut, and many more hits made the game much more attractive and dynamic.

To avoid the points being extended, in 1948 the rule of acceleration was introduced for international competitions. Following the Sydney Olympic Games in 2l 2000, the ITTF evolved the rules to adapt it to the New Times and to make it more visible on television. Until then it was played with balls 38mm in diameter. These were increased to 40mm, gaining visibility and, above all, increasing air resistance and thus making the game a little slower.

The length of the Games was also changed from 21 points to 11. Until then, the change of sacking was made every 5 points. The ITTF it decreased to two, for the games to beat in rhythm and emotion. In 2002, it was prohibited to hide the ball insight into the service or serve to avoid the advantages that this entailed. It also requires that the ball go up in the service, before the scrimmage, at least 16 cm, so that the opponent (the subtractor) have time to prepare the rest.

Ping pong at the Olympic Games

Ping pong was declared Olympic sport relatively recently. His first appearance took place at the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988. It was previously an exhibition sport at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.