Interesting facts about table tennis

January 30, 2010 | In: Sport Facts

The game originated as a sport in England during the Victorian era, where it was played amongst the upper-class as an after dinner entertainment activity, commonly known then as “wiff-waff”.

Early rackets were often pieces of parchment stretched upon a frame, and the sound generated in play gave the game its first nicknames of “wiff-waff” and “Ping-pong”.

The game is played on a 274 cm × 152.5 cm × 76 cm high (9 ft × 5 ft × 30 inches high) table.

The ball used in table tennis has a diameter of 40 mm (formerly 38 mm), is made of celluloid, and is hollow.

The winner is the first to score 11 points or more while being ahead by 2 points or more.

Since 1988, table tennis has been an Olympic sport.

A Chinese player has won the men’s World Championship 60% of the time since 1959; in the women’s competition, a Chinese player has won all but two of the World Championships since 1971.

More than 30 table tennis companies exist around the world, making a full line of accessories from rackets to warm-up suits.

A man in Hawaii has invented a three-player table for table tennis, calling it Tri-Pong.