Table Tennis Gaining in Popularity

By Koko Okuyama

In the wake of the London Olympics, table tennis has gained a lot of attention and popularity. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Japan won a silver medal in the women's team competition. In the men's team competition, Japan won medals at two Games, the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.As a result, the number of people playing table tennis is increasing year by year.

There are two reasons why table tennis is attracting attention and popularity. The first is because it is one of the few major sports in the world that Japan can win. It's not just one player who is strong, but a lot of team members are strong overall. The fact that Japanese players continue to produce good results in international tournaments is one of the factors that table tennis is attracting attention. The fact that Japanese players continue to produce good results in international competitions is one of the factors that attracts attention from table tennis.

The second reason is the success of young players. The members of the Tokyo Olympics team competition include 18 to 21-year-old athletes. Tomokazu Harimoto was the youngest ever to win the ITTF World Tour Men’s Singles at the age of 14. There are few sports where teenagers can compete with professionals.

In this way, table tennis is a sport that can be played by people of all ages. And, like basketball and volleyball, it is a sport where you can improve if you work hard, regardless of your height or weight. There are events for ages 8 to 90 years old at the competition. You can play at any age, from small children to the elderly. It’s also an easy sport to start at any age. Even those with physical disabilities can be good at it.

Table tennis had a reputation of being for serious players only for many years, but it is attracting attention due to the success and high level of the Japanese team. The powerful play of table tennis players have impressed many people. Anyone can feel free to play, and the fact that there are various events such as individual competitions, and doubles is also an interesting part of table tennis. Many of today’s junior high school and elementary school students have the power to beat professional table tennis players. The table tennis world will continue to be more exciting and will entertain both spectators and players.