The Event

Conceived in 2011 by Sandman Table Tennis, the inaugural World Championship of Ping Pong took place at the Palms Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas in December 2011. A 16 man invitational event, it was won by Russias Maxim Shymrev. There was also a team event running alongside. It was televised as 6 x 1 hour programmes distributed to broadcasters around the world. The second WCPP was produced by Matchroom Sport at the Alexandra Palace in London in January 2013 featuring 64 invited players. Once again it was won by Maxim Shymrev. Both events were officially registered with the International Table Tennis Federation. Television production was by Sky Sports and broadcast live for two days across the UK and subsequently syndicated around the world. The 2014 event is taking place on the 4th and 5th January and will again be broadcast live in the UK as well as in other territories.

Ping Pong vs. Table Tennis

Ping Pong uses sandpaper faced rackets which are a relatively inexpensive piece of equipment, whereas table tennis is an equipment-based sport where the premium is on expensive rackets loaded with technology. Sandpaper bats impart minimal spin thus the emphasis is on rallies, movement and shot-making. By contrast, top level table tennis is often hard to follow with rallies of no more than two or three shots. By using inexpensive equipment, Ping Pong is accessible to all, young and old and male and female.

The Equipment
The World Championship of Ping Pong uses traditional old school sandpaper-faced rackets, a throw-back to the days before sponge, rubber and technology began to dominate the game. The rackets have been meticulously researched and tested and are produced by Dunlop, the iconic brand of the sport.

To encourage the fair play element of the sport, the bats are provided for the players at the events and are swapped over when the players change ends. Despite their rigorous manufacturing process, the rackets are relatively inexpensive items, thus helping to encourage mass participation in the sport.

Qualification
Following on from the 2013 event, the vast majority of the 64 players competing in the next WCPP will have qualified by either winning sandpaper qualifying tournaments or heading up ranking lists. Qualifying events are operated by various associations and individuals around the world.

Canada, Eastern Europe, England, France, Holland, Hungary, Ireland, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Scotland, South America, Germany, Thailand, USA, Wales are among territories where confirmed WCPP qualification activity will be taking place.
With a minimum five year commitment to the WCPP, Matchroom Sport is looking to develop the qualification system across the globe with strategic partners.

Television
Produced by Sky Sports over two days, the WCPP delivers 15 hours of live broadcast as well as 8 x 1 hours of highlight shows. Sky Sports award-winning production team gives Ping Pong the big budget makeover with a creative broadcast that captures all the excitement of the event. In addition to Sky Sports the following stations took the 8 x 1 hour highlight shows of the 13 WCPP: Solar Sports (Philippines), Measat (Malaysia), Sky Network (New Zealand), Showtime (Middle East), Starhub (Singapore), Ananey (Israel), TSN (Canada), Fox (Australia), Fox Cable (USA). 2014 will see even more territories broadcasting the event as well as further innovations from Matchroom Sport.

Matchroom Sport
Established in 1982 by Barry Hearn, Matchroom Sport is one of the worlds leading independent producers of televised sport. Responsible for in excess of 2,000 hours of original programming, Matchroom work across a range of sports including snooker, boxing, darts, fishing, pool, tenpin bowling, golf, and now ping pong. Matchroom Sport has relationships with every major broadcaster in the world as well as an exclusive agreement with the Perform Group, the worlds largest internet sports content provider. As well as Matchroom Sport, Barry Hearn is also the chairman and driving force behind the Professional Darts Corporation and World Snooker Ltd, and the group as a whole has an annual turnover in excess of 50m. Matchroom Sport will always work in sports where they have a genuine passion as well as a firm belief that they can be developed into something bigger and better.