Ping-pong legacy bridges countries at tournament

Born to a family of Chinese immigrants in the United States, Amy Wang grew up playing table tennis with her father, never imagining that one day she would represent Team USA while training alongside the Chinese national team she had long admired.

Fifty-five years after Ping-Pong Diplomacy helped open a new chapter in China-US relations, Wang found herself sharing the table with Chinese players during a joint training session ahead of the World Table Tennis US Smash 2026 tournament in Southern California, where athletes and officials said the enduring legacy of "the little ball moving the big ball" continues to unite people through sport.

"It's definitely a huge honor for me to participate in the WTT US Smash 2026, and a great opportunity for both countries to reconnect as friends," Wang, who is in her early 20s, said on Friday at the draw ceremony and China-US joint practice session in Ontario.

"My dad played table tennis when he was in college in China, and that's how he brought it to us after we moved to the United States," she said, adding that she later learned about the history of Ping-Pong Diplomacy in school.

Now competing for Team USA, Wang described practicing with China's national team — widely regarded as the world's strongest in table tennis — as an invaluable opportunity.

Wang is among the many local stars representing the US at this year's tournament. Another is Kanak Jha, the San Francisco Bay Area native who has become one of the country's leading table tennis players.

"It's such a physical sport, it's a mental sport, so there are so many different attributes to make a great table tennis player," Jha said.

Although he acknowledged knowing only part of the history of Ping-Pong Diplomacy, Jha said he understood its significance.

"I know exactly 55 years ago there was more tension between the two nations, and through table tennis they grew closer together," he said. "The US team traveled to China, which was a pretty historic event at the time."

For Jha, training alongside the Chinese national team is also a way to improve his own game.

"It's a great opportunity for myself to learn from the Chinese team. They're, of course, the best in the world," he said. "The next big goal is the LA 2028 Olympic Games."

This year marks the 55th anniversary of Ping-Pong Diplomacy, when exchanges between Chinese and US table tennis players helped pave the way for the normalization of bilateral relations. Organizers say that to continue this tradition, players from China and the US train side-by-side as a special pretournament event, demonstrating the power of sports to transcend borders and foster mutual understanding.

Virginia Sung, executive vice-president of the International Table Tennis Federation and chief executive officer of USA Table Tennis, said the joint practice was a meaningful way to commemorate the anniversary.

She recalled a visit by the USA Table Tennis team at the invitation of the Chinese Table Tennis Association two months ago for celebrations in Beijing.

"During that visit, we were deeply moved to see that the friendships forged more than half a century ago continue to inspire and connect people in both our countries today," she said, adding that the US junior national team will travel to China in the coming weeks to compete against their Chinese counterparts.

The two countries have once again formed cross-national partnerships, pairing Chinese player Xue Fei with Jha in men's doubles, while China's Qin Yuxuan and US player Bosman Botha will compete together in mixed doubles.

Jun Gao, head coach of the US national team, said the tournament provides a rare learning opportunity for her players, many of whom are still young, competing against the world's top athletes.

"This is a world-class competition, and most of our players are like students," Gao said. "It's a really good opportunity for all of our players to see the really high-level players in the world."

The cross-national pairings in the men's doubles and mixed doubles events also carry symbolic significance beyond the competition itself, she said.

"We just follow the footsteps from before, like Ping-Pong Diplomacy," she added. "This is good for both countries to build up relationships from the athletes' perspective."

Improving together

He Xiao, secretary-general of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, said the Chinese and US national teams have held multiple joint training sessions in recent years, allowing athletes to exchange techniques and improve together.

"We also hope that, through table tennis, the people of China and the US can continue their friendship, attract more US youth to the sport, and welcome them to China for study and exchange," He said.

Recalling a China-US mixed doubles team at the 2021 WTT Championships in Houston, He said the applause the pair received reflected not only their performance on the court, but also the friendship that transcended cultural and linguistic differences.

China's deputy consul general in Los Angeles, Huang Hongjiang, said he wishes all athletes high-level performances and every success at the US Smash. "I also look forward to Chinese and US table tennis athletes striving for greater results at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in two years."

renali@chinadailyusa.com