About
Table tennis (ping pong) is played by an estimated 300 million people worldwide — making it one of the most-practiced sports. Balls can travel at up to 170 km/h; professional rallies can last 100+ shots. Reaction times for top players approach the physiological limit of human visual processing.
China has dominated Olympic and World Championship table tennis since the 1980s — winning 28 of 32 available Olympic gold medals since 1988. The sport is so culturally embedded in China that it is called 'China's national sport.' 'Ping-pong diplomacy' — the 1971 table tennis exchanges between US and Chinese players — was instrumental in opening China-US diplomatic relations before Nixon's visit.
# Top 10 Table Tennis facts
- 1'Ping-pong diplomacy' — US-China table tennis exchanges in 1971 — directly preceded Nixon's historic China visit
- 2China has won 28 of 32 available Olympic table tennis gold medals since 1988
- 3A table tennis ball can travel at 170 km/h — players have less than 0.1 seconds to react
Fascinating Facts
- ◆'Ping-pong diplomacy' — US-China table tennis exchanges in 1971 — directly preceded Nixon's historic China visit
- ◆China has won 28 of 32 available Olympic table tennis gold medals since 1988
- ◆A table tennis ball can travel at 170 km/h — players have less than 0.1 seconds to react
More in Sports4 related
31
Sports
Soccer (Football)
The world's game — 4 billion fans, 200+ countries, one ball.
Interest86/100
11
Sports
Olympics
The world's greatest sporting competition — uniting humanity in athletic excellence since 776 BCE.
Interest83/100
29
Sports
Chess
The game of kings — a 1,500-year-old battle of minds played by 600 million people.
Interest72/100
131
Sports
Basketball
James Naismith's 1891 invention — now the world's second most popular sport.
Interest69/100