It could be rightly said that "Ping-Pong Diplomacy" is the gift that keeps on giving. The series of fortunate events, beginning at the 1971 World Championships in Nagoya, Japan, used table tennis as a diplomatic tool to thaw the frosty relations between the USA and China. Then, as now, China was by far the superior squad. This disparity did not prevent the teams from staging a two-year series of barnstorming exhibition matches across China and the United States, as China played with the mantra of "Friendship first, competition second." The fiftieth anniversary of the historic occasion will be celebrated in grand style at the 2021 World Championships, to be held in Houston, Texas. In preparation for the momentous occasion, new USATT CEO Virginia Sung is getting the ball rolling by welcoming the Chinese national team to train with the USA team this summer. Sung put the visit in context, saying, “This is the first time the Chinese Team will bring the entire team and will present a great opportunity for the US players to learn, to build friendship with the Chinese players, and also to build a great partnership between our two associations.” The Chinese squad, 58 strong including coaches, trainers and assorted entourage members, arrived safely in Los Angeles this week. For two weeks starting August 11, the best players in the world will welcome America's brightest hopes into their camp for a truly remarkable opportunity to train at the highest level. “We hope to make this joint training camp an annual event leading up to the Houston and Chengdu World Championships and the 2028 LA Olympic Games,” added Sung, the first Chinese-American to hold the USATT CEO position. In every sense, this will truly be an august occasion.

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