Table Tennis (Olympic sport since 1988)

   About

   Gossima. Whiff-Whaff. Flim-Flam. Ping-Pong.

   Whatever name it assumes, table tennis has come a long way since its introduction as a genteel, after-dinner alternative to lawn tennis in 1890s England. Today, players compete for big money, wield high-tech rackets and volley the ball at speeds up to 160 kilometres per hour. Table tennis has become the world's largest participation sport, with 40 million competitive players worldwide and countless millions playing recreationally.

   The game, which debuted in the Olympic Games in 1988 at Seoul, began with cigar-box lids for rackets and a carved champagne cork for a ball. Today, players use specially developed rubber-coated wooden and carbon-fibre rackets and a lightweight, hollow celluloid ball. Various rubber compounds and glues are applied on the rackets to impart greater spin or speed.

   Indeed, some glues are banned from Olympic competition - they make the ball travel up to 30km/h faster.

   Competition

   Men's and women's singles and teams are the four table-tennis events scheduled at the Olympic Games. Matches are best-of-five games.

   In singles, the top 16 seeds proceed directly to the main draw, while another 48 players enter a qualification round. A second 16 advance from that round. The main draw is a single-elimination tournament. The semi-finals winners play for the gold and silver medals, and the semi-finals losers play for the bronze. A similar format is used for teams, but 32 teams are involved.

   Table tennis has a strict code of conduct that penalises unsporting behaviour, but that does not stop players from engaging in psychological ploys to gain the upper hand. Staring out opponents, and causing delays by towelling off and tying shoes are common moves. While the players are well-mannered, the names of particular shots also reveal the game's aggressive and competitive nature - the Kill, the Hit and the Chop.

   List of events

   -- singles Men

   -- team Men

   -- singles Women

   -- team Women

History

   Discipline's origin

   Table tennis developed in the late 19th century, although its origins are not well documented. It is usually considered to be of English origin, and is described as a "miniature" tennis that was played indoors in the 1880s and 1890s. The rules of the game were codified in 1922 by a Cambridge University student, Ivor Montagu (1904-1984).

   In January 1926, five nations - Austria, England, Germany, Hungary, and Sweden - met to form the International Table Tennis Federation. The World Championships began in the same year.

   Olympic history

   The sport is widely practised throughout the world. Table tennis made its Olympic debut as a full medal sport during the Olympic Games in Seoul. It was never contested at the Olympics as a demonstration sport. Since the late 1950s, the Chinese have been by far the dominant country in table tennis.

   There are four table tennis events on the Olympics programme: singles and doubles for men and women. The mixed doubles event is not held at the Olympics, but it has been an event at the World Championships since 1926.

Equipment

   Anti-spin

   A rubber racket-covering material having a low friction coefficient with the ball, intended to reduce the effect of spin.

   Ball

   Made of a plastic material, 40mm in diameter, with a weight of 2.7g.

   Court

   One half of the playing surface, separated from the other half by the net.

   Net

   Separates the two different playing zones.

   Pimpled rubber

   A rubber surface consisting of an evenly distributed pattern of raised pips, or pimples, across the surface.

   Pips in

   Pimpled rubber on the surface of the racket blade with the pips inwards, giving a smooth outer surface.

   Pips out

   Pimpled rubber on the face of a racket blade, with the pips outwards.

   Racket

   May be of any size, shape or weight, but the blade must be at least 85% wood.

   Sandwich rbber

   A layer of cellular rubber covered with a layer of pimpled rubber, with pips inward or outward.

   Sponge

   Cellular rubber material used as the under-layer of sandwich rubber.

Glossary

   Attacker: The type of player who attempts to kill as many balls as possible, overpowering his or her opponent.

   Backhand: A stroke with the hand turned backward.

   Backspin: Reverse spin imparted by striking the ball with a downward movement of the racket.

   Blade: A racket excluding its rubber surface, made of wood.

   Block: A return shot where the racket is held in front of the ball with little movement at the point of contact, used to defend against hard shots or when a player is out of position.

   Centre line: A white line parallel with the side line and dividing the courts into half-courts.

   Chop: A downward stroke producing back-spin.

   Counterdrive: An attacking stroke made against an attacking stroke.

   Defender: The type of player who pushes, chops and blocks the ball and tries to force the opponent into making a mistake.

   Doubles: A game between opposing pairs of players.

   Drop shot: A short return that falls just over the opponent's side of the net.

   End line: A white line along each end of the playing surface.

   Expedite system: A system used to restrict the duration of a game, normally introduced after play has lasted for 10 minutes. Players serve alternately and the receiver scores a point if he or she returns 13 successive strokes.

   Forehand: A stroke with the hand facing forward.

   Game: The part of a match completed when one player has scored at least 11 points and at least 2 more than the opponent.

   Good service: The term used to describe a valid serve.

   Half-court: One side of a court, divided from the other half-court by the centre line.

   Let: A rally whose result is not scored.

   Loop: A long upward motion that just grazes the ball and places heavy topspin on it, usually to set up a kill.

   Match: The best of any odd number of games.

   Men's doubles: A competition between pairs of men players.

   Mixed doubles: A competition between pairs consisting of a man and a woman.

   Obstruction: Interception of the ball over or moving towards the playing surface before it has bounced on the correct court.

   Penholder: A popular grip in Asia where the racket is held as if holding a pen, with the racket tip pointing downward, aiding the forehand while weakening the backhand.

   Playing surface: The upper surface of the table.

   Point: A rally whose result is scored.

   Push: A gentle stroke intended only to keep the ball in play.

   Rally: The period during which the ball is in play.

   Receiver: The player due to return the serve.

   Red card: A card shown by the umpire usually to dismiss an illegal adviser from the playing area or, in conjunction with a yellow card, to indicate the award of a penalty point.

   Server: The player due to strike the ball first in a rally.

   Service: The means of starting a rally, in which a player throws the ball upwards at least 16cm and strikes as it is falling, so that it touches first the server's court and then the receiver's court.

   Shakehands: The most popular grip in the world, resembling "shaking hands" with the racket while giving a player the best balance of forehand and backhand shots.

   Side line: A white line along each side of the playing surface.

   Sidespin: The spin imparted by striking the ball with a sideways movement of the racket.

   Singles: A game played by opposing individuals, not teams.

   Smash: A hard, flat attacking stroke.

   Stroke counter: The official appointed to count return strokes when the expedite system is in effect.

   Third-ball attack: A strategy that attempts to win points on the third ball over the net, with the server attempting to loop or kill the return of serve.

   Topspin: Forward spin imparted by striking the ball with an upward movement of the racket.

   Women's doubles: A competition between pairs of women players.

   Yellow card: A card shown by the umpire to signify a warning for a violation.