The History of Table Tennis

by courtesy of the ITTF

The history of table tennis and the history of ping pong have been the subject of extensive research, notably by Englishman Gerald Gurney and Americans Chuck Hoey and Tim Boggan.

The research by Gurney - presented in "Table Tennis: The Early Years" - is considered to be the definitive guide.

So do we know who invented table tennis?

Yes we do

It's thought that a game resembling table tennis was in existence in England as early as 1884 and various names were used during the history of table tennis (or should that be the history of ping pong?) with Gossima, Whiff-Whaff and Ping Pong all either patented or trademarked.

For more information, see my article - Who Invented Table Tennis?

Around 1898 the English sports company John Jaques & Son were popularising the game and were manufacturing the first table tennis sets.

Early versions of table tennis used rackets (bats / paddles) with velum stretched over an outer casing (similar to a small drum) attached to a handle. This gave rise to the name Ping Pong which was derived from the sound that was made by different sized rackets (bats / paddles) striking a ball.

As the popularity of the game spread, two rival organisations were set up in England with the "Table Tennis Association" and the "Ping Pong Association" formed within days of each other in 1901.

Soon after this time in the history of table tennis though, it's thought that the game fell out of favour.

But by the 1920s it was back in fashion, particularly in Europe, and Englishman Ivor Montagu was instrumental in reviving the "Ping Pong Association" in 1921 - reformed as the "Table Tennis Association" in 1922 (later adding the prefix "English") - and forming the "International Table Tennis Federation" (ITTF) in 1926.

At a meeting on 7 December 1926 Ivor Montagu (pictured right) was elected as the first chairman of the ITTF and five days later the first Constitution and Rules of Table Tennis were agreed.

A tournament held in London, England was also designated as the first World Championship.

The history of table tennis shows us that table tennis was popular in Europe at this time. So it was Austria, Czechoslovakia, England, Germany, Hungary, India, Sweden and Wales who were all invited to become the original members of the ITTF.

The rules for International Competitions, which were approved at that meeting on 12 December 1926, were based on the English rules of the game at that time for singles - subject to a few minor amendments - and the Hungarian rules of the time for doubles play.

So what's the difference between ping pong and table tennis?

Well, the term table tennis had to be used by these associations because ping pong had already been registered as a trademark by the sports company John Jaques & Son in England.

Parker Brothers in the USA had also bought the rights from Jaques to use the name ping pong in the USA only.

These companies were promoting ping pong tournaments which only permitted their own equipment to be used and were threatening to take action against anybody who used their proprietary trademarked name of ping pong without specifying the use of their equipment.

The "Ping Pong Association" in England therefore decided that it was prudent to stop using this trademarked name forthwith and reformed themselves as the "Table Tennis Association" instead.

So, since that time, and particularly since the establishment of the ITTF in 1926, the modern game has been known as table tennis.

For more information, see my article - Who Invented Table Tennis?

The term ping pong started to fade from use as more and more national associations were formed, affiliated to the ITTF, and adopted their rules of table tennis.

However, particularly in the USA, references to ping pong has continued for much longer than elsewhere in the world.

This is probably because ping pong was promoted extensively in the early 1900s by the equipment manufacturers who owned the trademark, and therefore it became ingrained in peoples minds - just as any other product which is widely advertised and promoted.

Indeed, Ping Pong is still a federally registered trademark in the USA and is now owned by Escalade Sports. So, the registered trademark of Ping Pong indicates a brand of equipment used to play the sport of table tennis.

Ping pong has also remained in popular use by the media all around the world (and by recreational players) who often use it in a derisory context about the sport of table tennis.

As the popularity of table tennis spread around the world, the Asian countries embraced the sport and quickly became world leaders.

Although the European players, particularly Hungary and England, dominated the mens singles titles at the World Championship during the first 25 years, the Japanese and Chinese players have taken the majority of world titles from the 1950s onwards.

A notable exception was Sweden, who with Jan-Ove Waldner and Jorgen Persson in their ranks, claimed the men's singles titles in 1989, 1991 and 1997 and won the team event in 1989, 1991 and 1993.

For more information about the history of table tennis, take a look at my other articles ...