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Table Tennis

2008-11-03 12:19 COC

ABOUT

Gossima. Whiff-Whaff. Flim-Flam. Ping-Pong.

Whatever name it assumes, table tennis has come a long way since its introduction as a genteel, after-dinner alternative to lawn tennis in 1890s England. Today, players compete for big money, wield high-tech rackets and volley the ball at speeds up to 160 kilometres per hour. Table tennis has become the world's largest participation sport, with 40 million competitive players worldwide and countless millions playing recreationally.

The game, which debuted in the Olympic Games in 1988 at Seoul, began with cigar-box lids for rackets and a carved champagne cork for a ball. Today, players use specially developed rubber-coated wooden and carbon-fibre rackets and a lightweight, hollow celluloid ball. Various rubber compounds and glues are applied on the rackets to impart greater spin or speed.

Indeed, some glues are banned from Olympic competition - they make the ball travel up to 30km/h faster.

Chinese Table Tennis Association

Founded: 1955

Headquarters: Beijing

ITTF Member since: 1953

Honorary President: LI Ruihuan

President: XU Yansheng

Secretary-General: YANG Shu'an

Add: C3 Longtan Road, Chongwen District, Beijing 100061, China

Tel:

Fax:

E-mail:

Commissions:

Coaches Commission

Referees Commission

Equipment Commission

Scientific Research Commission

Youth Commission

Press Commission

Brief introduction:

The Chinese Table Tennis Association, abbreviated to CTTA, is a wholly independent legal capacity mass sporting organization.

The CTTA shall be the highest social organization to represent China in the sport of table tennis. It shall represent China as its sole legal organization in corresponding int'l table tennis competitions, events and ITTF activities. It is also the permanent official organ for the Table Tennis and Badminton Administrative Centre of the State General Administration.

The CTTA's purpose is to serve as a unifying force for everybody involved in the sports nationwide including players, table tennis workers and enthusiasts, so that they adhere to the National Constitution, laws and relevant governing policies. It shall also develop table tennis as a sport, promote the drive and culture of socialism, raise overall standards and improve players'skill, so that new heights are reached at an international level. It shall promote amicable relations with national table tennis associations and players worldwide, and strengthen ties and cooperation with the International Table Tennis Federation and the Asian Table Tennis Association.

The CTTA is a member of the All-China Sports Federation, and is admitted as a national sports association by the Chinese Olympic Committee. It comes under the leadership and supervision of the State Sport General Administration and the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

The activities of the CTTA shall comply with the national sports guiding principles, policies and stipulations as well as the ITTF rules and regulations governing the sport. It shall abide by the relevant rules and regulations of the International Table Tennis Federation, serve to unify, coordinate and develop table tennis as a sport country wide, make the sport more attractive to the general public so that fresh talent is drawn into the game. It shall also promote improvements at an Asian and International level.

Link: International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)

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