Table tennis was first created in England in the early twentieth century and was initially known as Ping-Pong, like most other sports, it began as a pastime that anybody with a table, paddle, and ball could play. In the 1880s, lawn tennis players changed their game to play indoors during the winter, and that’s when the game was born. At the end of the 1800s, the English corporation J. Jaques and Son coined the term "Ping-Pong," which was subsequently registered in the United States by Parker Brothers, a board game manufacturer. The game immediately gained popularity, and tournaments with over 300 participants were held as early as 1901.

When the ancient Ping-Pong Association, founded in 1902, was resurrected in 1921–1922, the term table tennis was used. The Fédération Internationale de Tennis de Table or International Table Tennis Federation was founded in 1926 by representatives from several countries such as Germany, Hungary, India, Denmark, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Wales, with England, Sweden, Hungary, India, Denmark, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Wales as founding members. More than 165 national associations were members by the mid-1990s.

The inaugural world championships were held in London in 1926, and players from Central Europe dominated the sport until 1939, with Hungary winning the men's team event nine times and Czechoslovakia twice. The inaugural World Cup was held in 1980, and China's Guo Yuehua took home the $12,500 first prize. Table tennis became an Olympic sport in 1988, with men and women competing in singles and pairs.