The Art of Ping-pong

Few people realize that table tennis, otherwise referred to as "ping-pong," is actually a serious sport. In China, it is the third most popular spectator sport. Thousands of people come from miles around the watch top ping pong tournaments. The action looks like nothing you have ever seen. The athletes, and yes they are athletes, stand up to five meters away from the table. They slam their serves with as much force as a serve in regular tennis. Opponents must react within seconds to keep the game alive.

A volley in ping-pong can go on for hours. Just when you think a player has shot an un-returnable shot, it is somehow fired back. Back and forth, hour by hour they go. When a victor finally emerges, it is as if he is the most important person in the world.

Ping-pong champions are treated as celebrities in China. They are besieged by autograph hounds wherever they go. Crowds appear at their homes wanting photographs. Many have even taken to hiring body guards and building mansions with elaborate security systems to keep their fans at bay. Ching Lee, the five time winner of the prestigious Shanghai Tournament, even had to have plastic surgery and wear disguises to protect his identity.

Yes, we in the West may not realize it, but not everyone in the world thinks that football and baseball are the only sports worth watching. Go East sometime and attend a ping pong tournament. You will never look at paddles and plastic balls the same way.