The exhibition which runs until May 10th.
World Championships celebrate Table Tennis Centenary
by Philip Barker at the Wembley Arena
Table Tennis is celebrating one hundred years since its first World Championships in London, where the inaugural competition was held in 1926. The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) was established in the same year.
“It is clear that the table tennis family wanted to come back to London,” ITTF President Petra Sörling insisted.
“I can’t say enough how proud we are, starting our federation in 1926 and coming back 100 years later. Who could have imagined at that time when they were nine founding members, that we would come back with 227 associations?”
Last week, the competition began at the “Copper Box” in London’s Olympic Park and has now switched to the Wembley Arena in the North West of the City. The venue is only a few kilometres from Harrow where the first World Championship match was played at the Herga Tennis Club. Later matches in that first tournament were played at the Memorial Hall in central London. Originally, the competition had been styled as a European Championships but was re-designated as the first World Championships by the ITTF Congress.
The idea of an international organisation for the sport had come from a meeting held in Berlin at the suggestion of Georg Lehmann, President of the German Table Tennis Federation.
In 1926, a congress was held at the Kensington Court home of Gladys, Lady Swaythling.
“Our founders did the World Championships the same year. It is really inspiring to know we are celebrating 100 years of ITTF and 100 years of World Championships, that spirit is still with us. I feel it daily. We are fast runners in our sport,” said Sörling.
Lady Swaythling donated a cup to be presented to the winners of the men’s team competition.
Her son Ivor Montagu was elected as the first ITTF Chairman. He led the Federation until 1967.
The first winners of the trophy were Hungary, who included Roland Jacobi, the first men’s singles champion.
The St Bride Vase was inaugurated in 1929, the gift of British official Corty Woodcock, to mark the victory of Fred Perry, who later became even better known as a lawn tennis player after his three Wimbledon victories and success in the US, French and Australian Championships.
Amongst the early recipients was the legendary Hungarian Victor Barna who remains the most successful player of all time.
Hungarian Table Tennis President Gaspar Geist gave a trophy in his own name for the women’s singles.
French Table Tennis Association President Marcel Corbillon presented the ITTF with another trophy for the winners of the women’s team. This became lost in wartime but a replica was made in 1949.
From the early years, table tennis had sought a place on the Olympic programme and in 1988 this finally became a reality. The table tennis programme has been expanded for Los Angeles 2028 with the addition of a mixed team event.
“This shows how an event can change the narrative of a sport; this is our best gender equal event. We have more events than the other racket sports. I am very proud of that; it is not a coincidence it is based on the good work that we have been doing,” Sörling added.
The history of the sport is related in a temporary exhibition at the Brent Civic Centre, close to the Wembley Arena.
Artefacts and trophies have been brought over from the ITTF Museum in Shanghai. The Swaythling Cup, the Corbillon Cup, the St Bride Vase and the Geist Prize are on display alongside bats handbooks and tournament posters.
In the hallway, visitors have the opportunity to try the sport.
The ITTF World Championships and Centenary Exhibition continue until May 10th.
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