Black, as they say, goes with everything. In the world which we inhabit—the world of table tennis, that is—the famous agreeability of black has been wasted on only one color. In 1986, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) decreed that one side of the racket must be black, and the other, red. The rule was implemented in response to the insidious proliferation of long pips and anti-spin rubber. Players would often cover one side of their racket with either of these "junk rubbers," and the other with regular, high-friction inverted rubber of the same color. Since their opponents could not distinguish between the two radically different surfaces at a glance, the unforced errors piled up while the visual appeal of the sport plummeted. While the so-called "two color rule" cut down on the dirty tricks, it did little to promote individual expression, let alone a joyous atmosphere. Into this dichromatic desert steps Claudia Herweg, the ITTF's Head of Equipment, whom we imagine to be resplendent in an amazing Technicolor dreamcoat. Herweg conducted extensive polling about the idea of expanding the palette of racket coverings. Unsurprisingly, she found a range of responses, but ultimately the excitement generated the idea outweighed its concomitant output of apocalyptic mutterings. Then, it was a matter of testing which colors would fly. In order to preserve the spirit of the two-color rule, one side would remain black on all rackets in order to maintain sufficient contrast with the other side. Professional players tested different shades of colors in different lighting conditions and with both white and yellow balls. In the end, the final four of blue, green, violet and pink made the cut. The new colors will be available in October. "The idea behind it is to offer more options for players to choose, and of course to present our sport in the best way we can," explains Herweg, whose work both symbolizes and advances a new age of innovation in our sport. Perhaps most importantly, black will finally have something else with which to demonstrate its universal compatibility.

More at ITTF