The History of Table Tennis and Its Global Spread
Table Tennis, Which We Can Easily Play Even in Our Homes Today
Table tennis, which was first played in India, later spread to England and then to all of Europe. Its fun and practical nature allowed it to develop rapidly. Table tennis, played by two players, requires a rectangular table with a net in the middle, two paddles, and a ball.
We all know that table tennis is played on a rectangular table for two people, but are most of us aware of the rules in tournaments?
According to historical information, table tennis has been played in India and South America since the 1800s. Of course, the name of table tennis played at that time was different from the name we use now. Since people played classical tennis in a salon environment during that period, they named this beautiful game "parlor tennis" and used this name for many years. Moreover, in those years, cigar boxes were used as paddles, and books were placed in the middle of the table instead of a net. This different table tennis may seem primitive to us, but considering the conditions of that time, even such a game could be considered a luxury. The most interesting part is that since there were no balls in those days, people carved and rounded bottle corks and used them in the game. The game completely transformed in the next century and began to resemble the way we play it today. The person who pioneered this was James Gibb, who is thought to be of British origin. Historical sources indicate that this Englishman was involved in trade and became interested in table tennis after seeing the game during a trip to America. James Gibb brought some celluloid balls with him when he returned to his country, thus contributing to the game's recognition in England. Moreover, inspired by the sounds the balls made, he named the game "ping pong" here. The ping pong balls we use today were the real name of table tennis at that time. The game, which spread to England, was registered under this name, and its equipment was marketed under this name. However, because this naming right caused the equipment to be sold at very high prices, Europeans named the game "table tennis" and released the equipment under this name. Thus, the game spread throughout Europe and has come down to our time with its name unchanged. For example, a classic table tennis paddle must be made of wood. A red rubber plate is placed on one side of the paddle and a black rubber plate on the other. Moreover, the paddles must be shown to the umpire and the opponent before the game. Games are played with standard table tennis rules. However, in tournaments, games consist of sets of 11 points.
