Players may play back or square off at the net. A ball traveling at speeds up to 100 mph requires much more space than the average garage or back room. Players need time to react, and often leave themselves plenty of space to buy time or perform acrobatic movements to reach that ball. A ball in play moves about the area with large arcs and spins, sometimes curling up to 5 feet from the table before landing on the opponent's side. Only the quickest can keep up.
And keep up they do. Until a time-limit rule put an end to lengthy matches, two defensive players could play seemingly never-ending rallies as they waited for their opponent to slip up. In the 1930s, one world team final continued for three whole days, and two men in a singles match grappled over a single point for more than an hour. To put that in perspective, today the average match lasts no more than 40 minutes.
In that time, you'll see players from all over the world leap and lunge, reach and smash a nearly weightless ball all in the name of their country. Notice the team pride of the players as they challenge other countries. In China, table tennis is a national pastime played by everyone, and some of the best players in the sport are from China. Despite their lock on the competition, a glimmer of hope sprung up in Barcelona when the Europeans finally had proof in the form of Jan-Ove WALDNER of Sweden and Jean-Philippe "The Matinee Idol" GATIEN of France that it was possible for a European to crack the Asian dominance in the sport and bring home medals. Despite the forecasts, WALDNER ironically won the only gold medal Sweden was able to capture during the 1992 Olympic Games. Time will tell if WALDNER and the Matinee Idol can widen that crack into a permanent rift.
This is an official publication of The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Jennifer Knight and Dianna Drayson.
| An estimated 5.3 million visted Centennial Olympic Park between opening day - 13 July - and closing day - 4 August, making the park the most single most visited Olympic site during the Games. |