Who Invented Ping Pong?
The ping-pong, also known as Table Tennis, is one of the most popular sports in China. However, its origin is not in the Asian country, but in the United Kingdom. He was born at the end of the 19th century, in Victorian times. Ping-pong emerged as a distraction for the high aristocracy after dinner at the tennis club.
This is how ping-pong was born
Originally, it tried to imitate the game of tennis in some way when rain or cold prevented the practice of this sport outside. A series of everyday items were used.
The net consisted of a line of books, and a bell cork was used as a ball. As for the racket, it was simply the lid of a cigar box.
This sport gradually became more and more popular among the upper classes of England.
Over the years it received many names: small tennis, lounge tennis, table tennis …
The use of a champagne cork as a ball was discontinued, and a ball was made as such with celluloid.
The reason for the name ping-pong is due to the characteristic noise that the ball made when bouncing.
Already in the 20th century, a kind of racket was invented, fixing a rubber surface to the wooden blade.
The popularity of this sport was increasing in the United States and Europe, to the point that an unofficial world championship was held in 1902.
- In Russia, they banned the practice of ping-pong as they believed that it had a negative effect on the eyes of the players.
- In 1913 he came to Asia, where the sport has become a true way of life.
- And why is it called that? Keep reading and discover the answer …
Several British tennis players came up with playing tennis in a different way: in the middle of a pool table they placed two books and a rope in the middle;
They used cigar box lids as rackets and a bottle cork as a ball.
Table tennis was born! Soon the engineer James Gibb was shaping the regulations, incorporated the celluloid balls, and had the idea of calling the new sports ping-pong.
Guess why he gave it that name? Because of the sound, the ball makes when it hits the table?
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