Milan is famously fashion-forward. Along with Paris, London and New York, the northern Italian city is one of the four "fashion capitals" of the world. Now, the stylish city is looking to challenge China, not in looks but in loops. Italy, initially one of the countries hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic, has been relatively successful at "flattening the curve" by means of strict lockdown measures. This does not meant that the threat has subsided, there or anywhere, but rather that Italy has managed to limit the number of new confirmed cases to triple digits daily for over a month. Now, perhaps imagining the threat to be under control, Milan is easing its emergency restrictions. The next big move comes on June 25, when the ban on contact sports will be lifted. This eagerly anticipated, albeit naively optimistic day will see many Milanese denizens squinting in the sunlight as they reemerge from months of isolation. They will likely notice a few new installation pieces as they reacquaint themselves with the city's plazas: dozens of ping-pong tables across the city's nine districts. To celebrate the return of sport, Pierfrancesco Maran, Milan's Councilor for Urban Planning, has spearheaded a spectacular event dubbed “Milano gioca a ping pong” (Milan plays ping-pong). Councilor Maran describes the program as the first step toward making Italy an Olympic table tennis contender. "The city of Milan has set itself the ambitious goal of helping the Italian national team to win a medal in table tennis at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles," says Maran. "We have installed 36 ping-pong tables in the city, fundamental for the constant training of the Milanese athletes," explains Maran. "Now it's time to move from training to competitive tension, in full compliance with the rules of distancing typical of the sport in question." With the requisite lip service given to allay public health concerns, Maran then addressed questions of the tournament structure. "The tournament will take place in all nine municipalities," he says to his Milanese constituents. "Registration is open (free even if a contribution to civil protection is welcome). Of course to win the title you will also have to defeat the councilor here." While Maran has positioned himself like the boss on the last level of a video game, it remains to be seen if he can back up his raillery with a racket. While the long-term goal of Olympic relevance for Italy is laudable, the real measure of success will be whether Milan can stage such an aerobically demanding public gathering without a resultant spike in coronavirus cases. With such concerns in mind, “Milano gioca a ping pong” manages to be both forward-thinking and short-sighted. In any case, we wish the participants good luck and good health as the fashionable city aims to accessorize with bronze, silver and gold.

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