Since the 12th century, table tennis has undergone several changes in equipment as well as in game rules, eventually becoming one of the most popular competitive sports in the whole world.
In the 1880s, British army officers stationed in colonial areas such as South Africa or India would often play “Royal Tennis” using cigar lids as paddles, rounded wine corks as balls, and rows of books as an improvised net.This inventive game was quite popular with the army officers since it was quick and highly entertaining.
During the Victorian era, upper class men considered table tennis, then known as “Wiff Waff” or “Gossima,” as an after dinner social activity. They would clear off the dining table to be used as the playing surface. The opponents would hit rounded objects, sometimes a ball made of string/yarn, with a book over a “net” made out of piled up books. “Wiff Waff” then became quite popular which led to the manufacturing of the first official paddle made out of a frame with stretched parchment paper over it.
Shortly afterward, British enthusiast of table tennis, James Gibb, introduced hollow celluloid balls to England in 1900. John Jacques then registered the name “Ping Pong” as a trade name in England. In 1901, Jacques & Sons sold the copyrighted name to the well known United States game manufacturer, Parker Brothers. Parker Brothers then began marketing Ping Pong sets in the hopes of increasing its popularity in the United States.
In 1902, An Englishman named E.C. Goode placed a pebbled rubber on his wooden blade, allowing him to put more spin on the ball. It resulted to a dramatic speed in the game which led to the production of pimpled rubber racket. His ingenious discovery also dominated the table tennis racket sales around the world.
The popularity of the game was then followed by an increase in demand for regulations and serious competition. In 1903, two organizations were formed: The Ping Pong Association in the United States, and the Table Tennis Association in England. With the ever increasing popularity of the game, the desires of the people to compete on an international level called for the formation of a new organization. In 1926, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) was formed in Berlin and in 1927, the ITTF held the first official World Championship in London. The ITTF is also responsible for the many changes table tennis has undergone.
Table tennis also had its Eras. There was the Classic Hard Bat Era wherein Europe dominated the table tennis sport. But the 1952 1970’s period became known as the Sponge Bat Era, Rise of Japan and China.
Many countries still compete in Championship Table Tennis games all over the world. From its humble beginnings as a simple past time to becoming one of the world’s most popular competitive sports, ping pong has truly gone far. Even though the equipment has changed over the course of the years, the enthusiasm, popularity, and serious competition associated with ping pong have never truly wavered.
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