History of Table Tennis
Table Tennis is believed to have begun in England during the 12th century, equipment was made from various simple homemade articles.
It was believed the game was further developed in late 1880’s and known variously as "whiff whaff" and "gossima," and Parker Brothers began manufacturing an indoor tennis kit that included a portable net that could be set up on a table, a small ball covered with netting, and miniature paddles.
This popular table game began to spread wildly and was introduced to Japan, China, Korea, India and South Africa, presumably by British Army Officers who were stationed there. By 1910, "Ping Pong" had also become very popular in Central Europe.
National Associations were beginning to form during the 1920’s and due to the sport’s rapid growth, an International governing body was needed. On January 15th, 1926, the International Table Tennis Federation was initiated by Dr. Gerog Lehman of Berlin, Germany. By December, a constitution and laws were agreed upon and the first World Championships were held.
The first world championship tournament was held in London in 1927.
The American Ping Pong Association was organized in 1930, but its membership was limited because only Parker Brothers equipment could be used. Two rival organizations, the U. S. Amateur Table Tennis Association and the National Table Tennis Association, were founded in 1933. The three groups merged in 1935 into the U. S. Table Tennis Association, which was renamed U.S.A. Table Tennis in 1994.
Table tennis became an Olympic sport in 1988, with singles and doubles competition for both men and women. ITTF presently represents 127 Affiliated Associations.
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