Anybody who has enjoyed playing, or watching, the game of table tennis over a period of time will have soon realised that there is more to this sport than a leisurely game of 'Ping-Pong'. In fact, it has been argued that table tennis is one of the fastest and most dynamic sports in the world. The game appears to have originated in England in the late nineteenth/early twentieth century. Since the inception of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) in 1926, more than 180 members have subscribed to this world governing body. Subsequently, as a result of numerous contributory factors the development of 5 continental governing bodies has occurred. One such continental body, the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU), is responsible for, among other things, overseeing the development of table tennis in Europe.

A multitude of national and international tournaments are validated by the ITTF - the most notable of these events being the biennial World Championships; the recently formed ITTF pro-tour; in addition to many other world ranking events. Furthermore, table tennis has been included within the main programme of events at the last three Olympic Games (Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992 & Atlanta, 1996). Furthermore, table tennis will be included in the forthcoming Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. It has also been used for political means - one such example being "Ping-pong diplomacy" where the USA and China played a series of table tennis matches in the early 1970's in an attempt to demonstrate goodwill between two differing political ideals. Thus, it might reasonably be implied that the game of table tennis contains a good deal of sporting and cultural significance.