The History of Table Tennis – A Look at How the Sport Began

 Table tennis history can be traced back to the Victorian era in England, where the sport originated.  It was during this time period that a game, known then as “wiff-waff”, would be played after dinner as an activity merely for entertainment.  The game was mostly played by people in the upper class.  Books were set up in a row on top of a dinner table as a precursor to the net, 2 books were also used as rackets, and they would hit a golf ball across the table, from end to end.

 Over the course of table tennis history, the game evolved over time into what people see today.  Eventually, as the game became more popular, equipment started to be manufactured and sold commercially.  The early version of table tennis rackets were made with a piece of parchment stretched over a frame.  The name “wiff-waff” and “ping-pong” were given based on the sounds made when hitting the ball.  In 1901, the name Ping-Pong was trademarked by a manufacturer, who then later sold the rights to the name to Parker Brothers.

The next big thing to happen in the course of history was when an English man named James Gibb discovered what people now know as ping pong balls.  Gibb was a devoted enthusiast of the game.  While vacationing in the United States in 1901, he found celluloid balls that were being sold as novelty items.  Due to the fact that they bounced so well, he thought this type of ball was an ideal match for the game.  Also in 1901, a man named E.C. Goode created a version of the racket more like what is seen today, with rubber on a wooden blade.

 At this point in time, the game was growing in popularity.  Tournaments were being held, books were written about the sport, and there was even an unofficial championship held in 1902.  In England, in 1921, the Table Tennis Association was founded, followed up by the International Table Tennis Federation in 1926.  The first official championship table tennis game was hosted by London in 1927, and in 1988, the game introduced as an official Olympic game.  At the end of the year 2000, the ITTF made some official rule changes that were intended to make the game easier to watch at home on television.  These changes included making the balls bigger, and decreasing the scoring system from 21 down to 11 points to make the game more exciting by increasing the pace.

 

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