From ‘whiff-whaff’ to the Table Tennis World Championships – photo essay

“Table tennis is very bully for nan mind arsenic good arsenic nan body, immoderate property you are,” says 73-year-old Wang Qi, nan oldest competitor astatine nan Table Tennis Team World Championships successful London.

Incredibly nan Fiji player, who hails from China, is 61 years older than nan youngest player, Enya Hu, from Switzerland. Age is evidently nary obstruction successful this progressively celebrated sport.

Qi and Hu are among 380 men and women representing their nations wrong nan Copperbox and Wembley Arenas, wherever bonzer reflexes and dexterity are showcased by all.

This year’s tourney marks a period since nan first world championships and comes erstwhile nan athletics is successful nan world limelight, buoyed up by nan Hollywood movie Marty Supreme, starring Timothée Chalamet.

• Dimitrije Levajac of Serbia plays a protect changeable successful his triumph complete Luka Mladenovic of Luxembourg successful nan early information robin stages astatine nan Copper Box Arena.

• (Left) All 12 tables successful action during matches successful nan early round-robin stages astatine nan Copper Box Arena. (Right) Jakub Zelinka of Slovakia serves to an force from Guatemala.

• Tin-tin Ho of England, nan English female No 1, waits for a service from Hina Hayata of Japan astatine Wembley. Tin-tin has an older relative called Ping and was going to beryllium called Pong by her array tennis-mad father, until her mother intervened.

• (Left) Lin Shidong (China) uses his towel during his triumph complete Kim Jangwon of South Korea. (Right) Dina Meshref of Egypt serves successful her triumph complete Lilou Massart of Belgium.

• Iulian Chrita of Romania prepares to serve. He defeated Farouk Salifou of Benin.

• South Korea’s Oh Jun-sung pictured during his triumph complete Liang Jingkun of China.

Table tennis has travel a agelong measurement since nan early days erstwhile nan Victorian parlour crippled was played connected eating tables pinch cork balls and a statement of books successful lieu of a net.

As Boris Johnson joked during nan Olympic handover anterior to nan 2012 Games: “Other nations looked astatine a eating array and saw an opportunity to person dinner; we (England) looked astatine it and saw an opportunity to play ‘whiff whaff’”

After technological improvements including nan take of a integrative ball, nan International Table Tennis Federation was founded by Ivor Montagu, (later unmasked arsenic a communist spy), and nan first world championships was staged successful 1926 astatine Memorial Hall successful London.

The six-day arena featured players from 9 countries and ended pinch Hungary winning each nan men’s and women’s titles. Three years later, Englishman Fred Perry, later to beryllium feted for his section tennis exploits, became nan men’s singles array tennis champion.

The crippled is now a world affair, pinch 227 personnel associations and cosmopolitan appeal, ranking among nan apical 10 sports for participation.

The ITTF president, Petra Sorling, ascribes nan game’s cosmopolitan entreaty to its simplicity. “All you request is simply a table, 2 bats and a ball,” she says. “The costs of introduction is low, nan rules are elemental to follow, and you tin play indoors aliases outdoors, successful immoderate climate, successful immoderate culture.

“That’s why, present successful London and astir nan world, you spot group playing successful sports centres, parks, offices, municipality halls – anyplace you tin fresh a table. It really is simply a athletics for all.”

• A 1901 illustration shows members of precocious nine playing whiff-whaff connected a eating table.

• Competitors astatine nan 1926 World Table Tennis Championships astatine Memorial Hall successful Farringdon, London. The tables were made by J. Jaques & Son.

• (Left) A array tennis arena astatine Paddington Baths. (Right) Fred Perry practising array tennis successful Prague.

Having played since he was 7 and having coached a early Olympic golden medallist successful China successful nan 1980s, Qi must person felt fresh for thing successful London. Be it forehand drives aliases protect lobs, he had thing to fearfulness pinch his trusty “chopper” bat successful hand.

However, location was an unexpected twist earlier nan tourney started, erstwhile organisers informed Qi that some of his bats were unlawful. The ruling shattered his prospects but not his spirit.

“My bat is very special, very aged style: agelong pimples pinch nary sponge,” he said. “I americium possibly nan only personification who still plays this style. I had nary clip to hole it truthful I had to get my squad member’s racket. It’s a large difference.”

Nevertheless, Qi, who precocious overcame shingles and had small clip to practise, battled done his matches and made friends throughout. “Lose, win, it’s nary problem,” he said. After all, “table tennis is my champion life”.

• Wang Qi of Fiji successful nan round-robin stage.

• (Left) Qi is told by nan tourney referee that his bat is illegal. (Right) Qi during his nonaccomplishment to Abdoulaye Mohamed of Cameroon. The crippled was complete successful nether 15 minutes.

• Qi smiles contempt defeat.

Community and wellness are basal to nan wide entreaty of array tennis. Chris Beckley, a retired firefighter who runs various coaching clubs and workshops crossed London, is simply a vocal advocate.

“From nan infinitesimal I aftermath up until nan infinitesimal I spell to bed, it’s each astir array tennis. I perfectly emotion it!” he says.

“I thatch group of each ages and I emotion nan effect this athletics has connected people, whether it’s connected their intelligence wellness aliases beingness health, aliases socially. People travel together done array tennis.”

Studies successful Japan successful 1998 explored nan game’s therapeutic imaginable to trim cognitive diminution and hold nan onset of symptoms successful nan early stages of Alzheimer’s. Up to 5 portions of nan Alzheimer’s subjects brains were activated during play.

Julian Pierre, who has had Parkinson’s for six years, tin attest to nan benefits of nan game. The 55-year-old had not picked up a bat for 5 years owed to his illness, but enjoyed a free arena astatine Ping Hub successful a shopping centre successful Ilford, eastbound London.

• Julian Pierre, a 58-year-old who has Parkinson’s, returns balls that are fired quickly astatine him by a machine, while coach Chris Beckley watches on. The brace are pictured astatine Ping Hub astatine Ilford Exchange Shopping Centre.

• (Left) Customers astatine Bounce ping-pong club, which is successful nan building wherever nan original rules of nan crippled were formulated by J. Jaques & Son successful 1901. (Right) Bats successful a rack down reception astatine Bounce ping-pong Club.

• Free array tennis successful nan atrium of Brent municipality hallway other Wembley.

China has been nan powerhouse of array tennis since nan 1960s, winning 23 men’s and 23 women’s squad world titles, while besides hoovering up 37 of 42 Olympic golden medals since nan athletics debuted astatine nan summertime Games successful 1988. China has an estimated 300m recreational players.

There was a awesome upset connected time 5 of nan world championships arsenic Korea Republic hit China 3-1 successful nan seeding shape of nan men’s squad event, ending a 26-year winning streak. China’s world No 1, Chuqin Wang, didn’t characteristic successful that match. But he did play successful nan pursuing title against Sweden, that China besides lost.

Sorling says: “Table tennis is profoundly ingrained successful Chinese civilization and pinch a organization of complete a billion, nan talent excavation is enormous. Add to that a state-of-the-art training infrastructure that is among nan very champion successful nan world and you person a formidable combination.

“But crucially, China’s power has not been a ceiling for others, it has been a catalyst. In galore ways, China has made nan full world amended astatine array tennis.”

• Wang Chuqin of China, nan aggregate world and Olympic champion and world No 1 men’s subordinate – hits a forehand during his triumph complete Samuel Walker of England astatine Wembley.

• (Left) A instrumentality of China points to an image of Sun Yingsha. (Right) China supporters extracurricular nan Hilton Hotel adjacent to Wembley, trying to drawback a glimpse of their favourite players.

• The Chinese women’s squad look for their seeding-stage opener.

• (Left) Liang Jingkun of China watches nan shot during conclusion by Oh Jun-sung (Korea). (Right) Journalists question and reply Wang Chuqin aft China’s men hit England successful their opening match.

• Fans movie China women’s lucifer against Romania.

• Wang Chuqin of China reacts during his triumph against Samuel Walker (England).

The squad world championships travel a elemental format: each federation chooses 3 players for each match, pinch a best-of-five format deciding nan winner. The balls alert crossed nan tables astatine speeds of up to 72mph, creating a blizzard of colour and noise.

Crowds person been sparse astatine times successful nan early stages (except erstwhile nan Chinese are playing) pinch nan number of athletes often exceeding spectators. Nevertheless it is simply a show of array tennis pinch intriguing matches and storylines aplenty. Madagascar v Mongolia, anyone?

“More and much talent is emerging from astir nan world,” Sorling says. “When a 12-year-old and a 73-year-old tin some find genuine situation and joyousness astatine a table, you cognize you person thing genuinely special.”

The knockout stages of nan tourney will reason successful beforehand of a bumper crowd connected 10 May, pinch nan winning men lifting nan Swaythling Cup – nan aforesaid trophy presented to Hungary successful 1926 – and nan victorious women claiming nan Corbillon Cup. Could China yet beryllium deposed?

• Amir Atanda Adou, of Benin, was defeated by Ovidiu Ionescu of Romania.

• Liang Jingkun (China) serves successful his conclusion by Oh Jun-sung of Korea.

• (Left) A France squad personnel retrieves his bat aft it was checked for legality. (Right) Dario Arce of Mexico serves during his nonaccomplishment to Jonathan Groth of Denmark.

• A lucifer betwixt Chile and Slovakia successful nan women’s event.

• (Left) Players from Argentina and Croatia successful nan round-robin stages of nan women’s competition. (Right) Lea Rakovac of Croatia serves during her conclusion by Nicole Arlia of Italy.

• Álvaro Robles of Spain (ranked 67) is mobbed by teammates aft clinching a daze victory, connected his 4th lucifer point, complete nan world No 14 Darko Jorgic of Slovenia.

• Nina Mittelham of Germany successful her triumph complete Yuan Jia Nan of France.