Table tennis

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"Ping-pong" redirects here. For other uses, see Ping-pong (disambiguation).
Table tennis

Table tennis at the highest level

Highest
ITTF
governing body
1880s Victorian
First played
England[1][2]
Characteristics
Contact No
Team members Single or doubles
Type Racquet sport, indoor
Poly, 40 mm (1.57 in),
Equipment
2.7 g (0.095 oz)
Presence
Olympic since 1988
since inaugural 1960
Paralympic
Summer Paralympics

Table tennis, also known as ping pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight
ball back and forth across a table using a small bat. The game takes place on a hard table divided
by a net. Except for the initial serve, the rules are generally as follows: players must allow a ball
played toward them to bounce one time on their side of the table, and must return it so that it
bounces on the opposite side at least once. A point is scored when a player fails to return the ball
within the rules. Play is fast and demands quick reactions. Spinning the ball alters its trajectory
and limits an opponent's options, giving the hitter a great advantage.
Table tennis is governed by the worldwide organization International Table Tennis Federation
(ITTF), founded in 1926. ITTF currently includes 226 member associations.[3] The table tennis
official rules are specified in the ITTF handbook.[4] Table tennis has been an Olympic sport since
1988,[5] with several event categories. From 1988 until 2004, these were men's singles, women's
singles, men's doubles and women's doubles. Since 2008, a team event has been played instead
of the doubles.

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