South Korean table tennis players ran into the Great Wall of China at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Champions event in Chongqing, China, and fell just short of the quarterfinals. On March 14, Shin Yu Bin and An Jae Hyun were eliminated in Round 16, ending their hopes of advancing.
Known as ping pong to many, table tennis is more than just a casual hobby in China—it’s a national passion. The country’s love for the sport began when Rong Guotuan became China’s first world champion at the 1959 Dortmund World Championships. The sport gained even more momentum after the Ping Pong Diplomacy of the 1970s, which helped to strengthen China’s dominance in table tennis, a position it has maintained since the 1980s. According to the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) rankings, Chinese players currently hold the top three spots in both men’s and women’s categories and makeup half of the top ten players worldwide.
The competition in China is so intense that there’s a saying: It’s harder to become a national champion in China than a world champion. Since table tennis was introduced as an Olympic sport at the 1988 Seoul Games, China has dominated the event, claiming 37 out of 42 gold medals. Only five golds have been won by other countries—three by South Korea, one by Japan, and one by Sweden.
Despite China’s current dominance, table tennis has roots elsewhere. In the late 18th century, the British upper class created table tennis as an indoor alternative to lawn tennis. Early versions of the game were played on large dining tables using makeshift equipment: books or cigar box lids served as paddles, while champagne corks or rubber balls were used as balls.
The first official rules for the sport were set in 1875 by James Gibb, a British enthusiast. During a trip to the U.S. in 1901, Gibb discovered celluloid balls, which he found perfect for the game. Inspired by these balls’ distinctive ping-pong sound, he trademarked the name Ping Pong.
The first World Table Tennis Championships were held in London in 1926, the same year the organization that would later become the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) was founded.