Great chance to see players from around the world. First time the Finals will be played in the USA. Wish I could go… Tix are selling out, so grab them and get to TX for some pong and BBQ.
Tickets are now on sale for the 2021 World Table Tennis Championships (WTTC). The best table tennis players from around the world will make their way to Houston, TX to compete for a championship title. This year the WTTC will take place at George R. Brown Convention Center from Nov. 23 – Nov. 29.
Though I knew there were many public places to play table tennis around the world, I recently discovered there is a new twist: organized amateur competitions. It started in Barcelona and has spread to London and other European cities and towns. In addition, there is a StreetTT app and website which is helping to organize amateurs who want to compete without all the usual training and stress. Seems like a fun idea though I’m not sure the Santa Cruz area has enough public tables to put us on the map. As of last check, the towns involved were all in Europe, but I can see this spreading throughout the world.
For those still looking for masks, the Joola company is making some here in the USA. Free shipping through 4/15. Nice to see a table tennis company making this happen.
With some help from another table tennis player, I’ve learned that because of sponsorship, most major national and international competitions (some of 2019 & most of 2020) used or are using DHS 3-star D40+. This includes the 2020 Olympics. Butterfly is the official table – https://www.ittf.com/tournament/5177/2020-world-championships/.
Sorry for the geekiness of this, but I wondered about the weight of the “new” plastic balls. Mainly, are the Nittaku heavier than the Butterfly? So, I grabbed a friend’s calibrated scale and did some comparisons.
First, the ITTF requirements
The official rules state that the ball shall weigh 2.7g, but any weight between 2.67 and 2.77g is acceptable for any one ball. No more than 1 ball out of the 24 sampled may be outside this range. The sample mean must be between 2.69 and 2.76g.
Second, the data
My data is based on weighing 3 balls of each brand, then doing a mean. So, yes, I have a smaller quantity sample (ITTF requirements are based on 24 balls), but I’m guessing that my random three balls measurement is representative. All balls were within the mean, so the weight difference between the balls is pretty damn small. All 40+.
