The Sport

Table Tennis can be classified as a major sport worldwide, with millions of participants, major tournaments, and many other things that make a sport truly a class of its own.

As a sport that emphasizes endurance and reflexes above simple size and strength, people of all ages and genders can play on an equal field. The equipment can be had for a reasonable price, and the sport is played indoors so year-round competition and practice is possible. A game requires only two players at the least, and typically lasts around 15 minutes.

Table tennis truly is a sport for the masses, and its widespread adoption around the world is a testament for its versatility. Europe and Asia have the largest per capita participation of table tennis as a sport and have dominated international competitions ever since it started.

The true origin of Table Tennis is largely unknown, although forms of the sport have been documented as early as the late 1800s in England. The sport started becoming popular around the world in the early 1900s. During this time, the official name of the sport was changed from Ping-Pong™ to table tennis. This was due to copyright conflicts with Parker Brothers, who owned the rights to the name and game of Ping-Pong™. The International Table Tennis Federation and European Table Tennis Union were formed at about this time. These organizations would go on to become the primary ruling bodies of table tennis.

Table tennis has evolved significantly since its surprise birth upon the sporting world, acquiring many revisions of rules and seeing an evolution of equipment as technology and playing styles changed. Such refinement only serves as evidence that table tennis is indeed a full-fledged sport, comparable to any of the other classics we behold with reverence.

Courtesy of megaspin.net - the table tennis network

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