Table Tennis Tournaments
Professional TT tournaments are a great source of inspiration.
Watch and learn from the best players in the world.  Table tennis tournaments (sometimes incorrectly called ping pong tournaments) take place all around the world.
So whether you're an amateur or professional table tennis player, they'll be a local, regional, national, continental or international table tennis tournament somewhere near you right now. Table tennis is truly an international sport and since it became part of the Olympic Games in 1988 it's gone from strength to strength.  Olympic Games and World TT Championships
The two biggest table tennis tournaments for the top professional table tennis players are the Olympic Games and the World Championships. The World Table Tennis Championships started in 1926 in London, England when Hungarian Roland Jacobi triumphed in the mens singles, whilst Yoo Nam Kyu became the first winner of the Olympic Table Tennis title when it became an Olympic Sport in his home country of South Korea in 1988.
Watch and Learn ... I've been fortunate enough to attend some of these big events and in particular I remember the World Table Tennis Championships in Manchester, England in 1997 when the Swedish table tennis legend Jan-Ove Waldner won the mens singles title without losing a single game. Awesome. If you get the chance to go to any major table tennis event I would urge you to go. They provide great inspiration for any player, or prospective player, as you get to see the best players in action and close up. You can also buy videos and DVDs of many of these top table tennis tournaments and although it's never as good as being there yourself, they're well worth watching as you can learn so much about the subtleties of this great game. Another benefit of going to these table tennis competitions is that you get to see many of the table tennis manufacturers and have the chance to look at their table tennis equipment and try out different rackets (paddles / bats) etc.
International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) controls the world game and they produce a monthly world ranking list (sometimes known as a rating). As in many sports, the best men and women earn their living as professional table tennis players, competing in world ranking events throughout the year. The World Table Tennis Championships is considered to be the most important event by some players, whilst the Olympic Games is favoured by others because it's only held once every four years.
Other Top International Table Tennis Tournaments The top international table tennis players also play in many other international events throughout the year such as the World Cup, the World Clubs Championships, ITTF Pro Tour Events and the ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals. Professional table tennis players also compete in their own continental events - the African Championships, the Asian Championships, the European Championships, the Latin American Championships, the North American Championships and the Oceania Championships. The list of competitions just goes on and on. Some of the other significant tournaments are the Pan-American Games, the Commonwealth Games, the Mediterranean Games and the Arab Championship.
Now It's Your Turn ... However ... if you're a mere mortal like me, and you don't play the game like the Chinese table tennis professionals do, there'll be local and regional competitions taking place near you which you can play in. I've played in lots of table tennis tournaments over the last 35+ years, and I've also organised quite a few local events as well. During that time, I've discovered how to organise a successful tournament and table tennis league and you may be interested in some of my top tips (coming soon).
More about table tennis at the 2008 Olympic Games
Go to All About Table Tennis home page from Table Tennis Tournaments
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