It's fast, it's fun and it's the most popular racket sport in the world. Read on for some fascinating facts about table tennis
IN THE Japanese flick Ping Pong - an adaptation of popular Japanese manga (comic books) by Taiyo Matsumoto - table tennis is portrayed as a fascinating sport. And in reality, it is. Ranked one of the major sports in the world, it's an exciting game everyone can play.
Ping pong or table tennis?
The sport was originally called ping pong. When games manufacturer Parker Brothers came up with the name ping pong, trademarked it and then demanded a huge sum of money from the USA Table Tennis Association for the rights to the name, the community gave the sport its own name - table tennis.
Going batty
In the early days, table tennis paddles were made of cork, cardboard or wood and covered with cloth, leather or sandpaper. In 1902, EC Goode from the United Kingdom invented the pebbled rubber-faced paddle which allowed him to put a spin on the ball.