Table Tennis Draws Big Crowds in Beijing

When the table tennis events start on Wednesday, August 13^th, 2008 in Beijing China, the newly constructed Peking Gymnasium will be filled to capacity. The Chinese will be happily cheering on their home team and the dozens of former Chinese who now play China's national sport in other countries.

Any serious table tennis athlete spends time in China to train. The national game will be a huge event for those attending the games, and will be one of the main draws for many Chinese. Although all Chinese athletes are under pressure to perform in front of the home crowd, those competing for the table tennis team are under particular scrutiny. Since it was introduced as an Olympic sport, China has taken 16 of the 20 gold medals since 1988.

As for the singles events, the Chinese are set to possibly sweep all three medals in the event. This could add up to a total of eight medals for the Chinese in table tennis. The single sweep will be one of the more difficult challenges for the Chinese team. For example, because there are only 3 Chinese competing in the singles tournament, if one is knocked out early, the pressure on the other 2 will be that much greater.

For table tennis player's who are not Chinese, it would be an honor to win a medal in the games home nation. Although many of the greats come from China, there are some other competitors who will offer the Chinese a challenge. Poland's Natalia Partyka will be competing in the women's team event. Partyka was born with a right arm that ends just below the elbow, making her eligible for the Paralympics as well. She will be staying in Beijing to defend her gold medal in the Paralympics in September.

Another well known player will be Priscila Tommy for the small country of Vanuatu, a tiny group of islands locate din the Pacific Ocean. She's the lowest ranked person in the competition, but is well known in her home country of 215,000 people. She's ranked number 849 in the world, yet she was chosen to be the flag bearer for the three-member delegation in the opening ceremony.

The stadium, which was designed specifically for table tennis, and was being strictly set up until the last-minute two days before the event is set to begin. The event staff cleaned the floorboards and was on the floor with rags cleaning up to prepare for the big event. Players have been training in the stadium for the last few weeks preparing for the much anticipated matches. They are trying to get used to the lighting and air currents that could affect their play Wednesday. Look for the Chinese to make a big splash in this event.