The number of table tennis players throughout the world is said to be around 300 million. Table tennis is one of the most popular sports in India. It is not as popular like cricket or tennis in the country but the youth is crazy for this sport. This sport is extensively played in schools, colleges and universities, wherein various competitions (at the inter-state and national level) are held for the same. Also in due course of time India has produced some good talents but it has a long way to go. In nineteenth century it was an after dinner amusement game and has come a long way to a professional sport. Originally, the sport was also known as ping pong, later it was rechristened to table tennis. The British brought this sport to the country. It is considered as sports rather than game as it requires high level of physical effort at higher competitive level. Quick responsiveness is the basic skill that one requires to play table tennis. The player should have high level of physical fitness and footwork to play the game. He/she has to be shrewd in order to calculate the fast movements of the ball over the net. India boasts of having some of the outstanding players of the sport, who have displayed their talent at some of the important table tennis tournaments.
Origin & History:-
The game was invented in England in the early days of the 20th century and was originally called Ping-Pong, a trade name. The name table tennis was adopted in 1921–22 when the old Ping-Pong Association formed in 1902 was revived. The original association had broken up about 1905, though apparently the game continued to be played in parts of England outside London and by the 1920s was being played in many countries. Led by representatives of Germany, Hungary, and England, the Fédération Internationale de Tennis de Table (International Table Tennis Federation) was founded in 1926, the founding members being England, Sweden, Hungary, India, Denmark, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Wales. By the mid-1990s more than 165 national associations were members.
The first world championships were held in London in 1927, and from then until 1939 the game was dominated by players from central Europe, the men’s team event being won nine times by Hungary and twice by Czechoslovakia. In the mid-1950s Asia emerged as a breeding ground of champions, and from that time the men’s team event has been won by either Japan or China, as has the women’s event, though to a lesser extent; North Korea also became an international force. In 1980 the first World Cup was held. Table tennis became an Olympic sport in 1988, with singles and doubles competition for men and women.
Table Tennis Federation of India:-
Table Tennis Federation of India or in short TTFI was established in Kolkata in 1937. It is the central body for the administration and promotion of table tennis in India. TTFI formerly known as All India Table Tennis Association (AITTA) got rechristened after the country got independence. Since then it has been putting sincere effort in promoting and upbringing the standard of table tennis in India. TTFI is an active member of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).
The federation has grown in size and boasts of giving affiliation to almost all the state associations of table. Apart from the state associations, TTFI also has institutional members, including the Indian Railways, Petroleum Sports Promotion Board and Bank Sports Board. The federation also has a vast network of district associations, each of which has proved to be remarkably functional. TTFI organizes numerous competitions for table tennis at national level and provides coaching camps. Federation provides employment to youngsters who are serious competitors and aspiring to make it big in sport. They are given rigorous training, so that they perform well at the events and bring laurel to the country. It’s quite visible that TTFI has been instrumental in raising the standard of the sport at all levels.
India’s Achievement in the Sport:-
Although the sport is popular in national level and having hardworking dedicated players, it lacks major success at international platform. This has resulted in stagnation and popularity of game has confirmed to players and youth only. At the team level, India’s most cherished performance has been the World Championships in Gothenburg, where it was placed at the 12th position. One of the milestones achieved by the country was hosting World Championships in Mumbai in 1952. It was held for the first time in Asia. India hosted World Championships three times is a tribute to the organizational efficiency present in the game. We hope in near future India bring glory to the sport.
