How is table tennis in China successful?

Abstract

The Chinese Table Tennis Team, founded in 1952, has won 230 gold medals in the world’s three major competitions (the Olympic Games, World Championships, and World Cup) and has made world-renowned achievements over the last 60 years. This paper explains the reasons for the success of Chinese table tennis from the perspectives of society, training and competition, as well as scientific research: (1) Due to historical reasons, China has chosen to focus on the development of the sport table tennis. Furthermore, table tennis has made important contributions to the development of Chinese society (for example, ping-pong diplomacy), which has given table tennis a special social status in China. (2) China has established an effective three-level training system, league system and coach system, and, through long-term training and competitions, the country has developed an effective method of technical and tactical training and preparation for world competitions. (3) With the assistance of scientific research, Chinese table tennis coaches and players can master the basic rules of table tennis, which is one of the important reasons for the success of Chinese table tennis.