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The impact of table tennis on the European culture

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beginnings in late 19th century (1880s and 1890s)

originally "ping-pong"

Brithish upper-class society

leisure pasttime, played indoors after dinnes

marketed as "Gossima" and "Ping-Pong" by the British company J. Jaques & Son

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early 1900s

lower equiment costs (due to mass industrial manufacturing)

urbanization (need for cheap, indoor recreation)

adopted in organisations, schools and industrial workers' clubs

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Middle-class European modernity

indoor leisure

standerdized rules

cosmopolitan tast for organized sport

Sports trancending national borders overall.

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International Table Tennis Federation (1926) 

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International Table Tennis Federation (1926) 

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in Berlin

one of the FIRST modern international sports federations

Central Europe became the sports administrative center

first World Championships in London

(December 1926)

standardization of rules (mirroring European cooperations in the interwar period) - European nations cooperation under common rules (rivalry-->unity)

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table tennis world championships in london (1926)

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1930s

international competitions, cultural exchanges, shared governance

working-class sport in Central Europe

--> Hungary dominating

women-friendly sport (one of the first where European women competed internationally) along with athletics, tennis, fencing and others

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most international competitions stop due to the resources put into the war

Sports become tools of reconciliation after the war

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Post-War period and Cold War   (1945-1970)

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Post-War period and Cold War   (1945-1970)

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Sports shaping European integrations and European identity

despite Cold War tensions, table tennis championships involved both East and West European nations annually

cultural bridge (political interaction was tense)

Europe dominating world competitions

1930s-1960s

Europe as a Sports Powerhouse

sports --> Pan-European culture/ideology, way before EEC or EU

helped unify Europe despite political division

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Cold War table tennis European championships 

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1971-1971

most famous diplomatic sport

Europe - media, cultural bridge between the superpowers

events that open relations between China and Western countries (especially North America and Central Europe)

global visibility

how sports could influence world politics

sports - European soft power

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Summer Olympics - Seoul

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major economic and political sectors

sponsorship, merchadising, broadcasting

sports celebrities and "heroes"

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Swedish table tennis legend

admired globally, even in China

Sweden overall being one of the dominating countries inthe world during the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s

1st place in singles 1992 Olympics in Barcelona

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1990s

ITTf headquears move back to Europe (Switzerland)

Western and Eastern table tennis systems merge

a lot of migration of coaches and players in Europe

Sports helping to integrate post-Soviet Europe

European leagues becoming more international and market-driven

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international table tennis federation 1926

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EU free movement rules - easier travelling accross borders

new member stats of the EU (e.g. Romania, Poland) strenghten the East - West relations and cooperations

table tennis survives the 2008 economic crisis due to its low cost maintenance

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2010s - China-Europe exchange (globalization)

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2010s - China-Europe exchange (globalization)

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player migrations and training camps

European national teams including Chinese-born naturalised players (e.g.Germany)

2014 - debates over participations of athlets from states involved in political conflicts (e.g. Russia)

federations mantaining political neutrality despite public pressure

Gender equality

Multicultural participation

Europea social indetity principles

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European table tennis federation (ETTU) and ITTF suspended Russian and Belarusian athlets, official and events after the invation of Ukraine (2022)

showed Europe's unified position on Russia's agression

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Now both Russian and Israeli players are allowed to participate in some international competitions (opens), but without representating their countries, and playing under blank country names and flags

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russian athletes 2025 neutral flag sports