History: Hands Off the Table

 

Now that all the noise and excitement were over, leaving another 7-month break with no international competition (After multiple-postponement, 2020 World Championships is officially cancelled! Aw!!!). Perhaps it's time to review the RESTART series (the World Cups, ITTF Finals and WTT) launched last month and take a little time travel to see how people embraced the return of table tennis after a long, hard break in history.

While most sports competitions being cancelled and sports facilities being closed during the pandemic, many table tennis enthusiasts might have gone through months of 'hands off the table'. It's a rare occasion that all sports events come to a complete halt for such a long period of time and the last time this happened can be traced back to 80 years ago during the outbreak of World War II. So, how did people find meeting table tennis after long time apart? Here's an excerpt from a letter to the editor in the magazine Table Tennis issued in November 1946. 

"...as an average player returning to Table Tennis after a gap of six years, there is one great change to be observed. The difference is that in today's matches and tournaments the players actually seem to ENJOY the game! What is sport for? Is it not to expand the lighter side of life and bright out the best in human character? To which pre-war Table Tennis matches was to see chiselling in two forms: not only in its Table Tennis meaning of stone-wall play, but also in the American sense of grabbing for advantages at all costs. The noticeable improvement in the spirit of the players today is perhaps one of the few good after effects of the war."

An excerpt from 1946 November edition of Table Tennis 

Though a six-moth break in peacetime pales in comparison to the turbulent years during World War II, I believe the one thing that we have learnt from hard times is to cherish those we have in life as we won't know when they won't be there. When sports facilities reopened, I found myself trying my very best to utilize every second of the table tennis session like never before. Whereas during the days when many of us were forced to stay at home, I enjoy watching ITTF's Smashback series which features classical matches of table tennis legends. While revisiting table tennis' past, I am mesmerized by how the sport have evolved over the years and understanding the diversity in playing styles, changes in rules and competition format makes me want to explore the depth of the sport even more. Do you share the same feeling? Tell us your thoughts about the returning of table tennis in the comment box below!

Apart from a change of my attitude towards table tennis, the threat of the pandemic might have paved way for reforms. As if 75 years ago when people start figuring out ways to eliminate stone-walling, I do think it is a critical juncture to rethink the scale, schedule and form of table tennis tournament in the future. Since the pandemic is still not under control, most sports competitions have to be held on a regional basis to create a safe sporting bubble. This is, by coincidence, in line with ITTF's strategy which is to bring table tennis competition to all parts of the world, at the same down, scaling down international events making hosting international competition much more affordable. Furthermore, players seem to look fresh in the Restart series. Perhaps a table tennis schedule with off-season is better than an all-year-long competition season as it favors players to rest, recover and train systematically.  Of course the off-season shouldn't be too long as table tennis fans and players will be missing those competitions badly. So, there is always two sides of the same coin, chaos on the one and a chance of making changes on the other.

I also observed a few changes from the Restart series which is the implementation of the pandemic precautionary measures. Do you recall the moment when an umpire asked Xu Xin and Ma Long to use their towels instead of wiping their hands on the table during the 2020 ITTF Finals? In fact, this reminds me a column written by English table tennis player, Jack Carrington and was issued in the March 1952 volume of Table Tennis. 

Captured from 1952 March edition of Table Tennis

It seems that these complains have existed in the world of table tennis for over 60 years. Do you think we've solved these issues or simply tolerated them?

While we might be 'hands-off-the-table' in the coming months as the pandemic worsen, the good news is 2020 CTTSL is scheduled for 21-29 December and we will make updates on the 2020 Chinese junior nationals which was held from 1-9 December 2020. Stay tuned, stay home and stay safe. Wishing you all a merry Christmas and a happy new year!