Do you fancy a game of whiff-whaff? How about pim-pam?

Never heard of them?

Well, these were both early names for the game that has come to be known as table tennis or ping-pong around the world.

It is a sport China has largely dominated since the middle of the last century, and with the Beijing Olympics just around the corner it might not be far-fetched to expect yet another clean sweep for Chinese athletes in the event.

But what is the history of the game? First we have to rewind the clock to Victorian-era Britain, where lawn tennis was just starting to catch on.

It was soon proving so popular that eager players wanted to play indoors as well as outdoors, and began improvising¹ with makeshift household equipment such as using corks² from wine bottles as balls and empty cigar boxes as bats.

Game manufacturers quickly cottoned on to the potential of indoor table tennis as a commercial product and began producing ready-made sets in the late 19th century.

The names of many early products, such as ping-pong, whiff-whaff and pom-pom, mimicked³ the sound of a bat hitting a ball.

Ping-pong was introduced to China in the early years of the 20th century, and gradually became a national sport; loved and played by millions.

Chinese players such as Liu Guoliang have pioneered techniques and styles of gripping the bat, which helped them to great international sporting success.

The game has even played a role in international politics when a group of American table tennis players were invited to China in 1971 to play and train with Chinese athletes.

The move signalled a renewal⁴ of ties between China and the US during an era of what became called ‘ping-pong diplomacy’.

Now, as Beijing 2008 approaches, TV ratings experts anticipate that alongside the men’s 110m hurdles⁵ and women’s volleyball, table tennis will be the most-watched Olympic event in China.

With the top five women and top four men in official rankings, it is highly possible that once again we will see Chinese players battling it out amongst themselves for the top spots.