Olympic run-up starts with city’s table tennis initiative

IT is a game Boris Johnson famously called “wiff-waff” and London’s mayor would surely be pleased to see the numbers of people playing it at the 45 table tennis tables stationed in Hull as part of a drive to increase participation in sport ahead of the 2012 Olympics.

The tables have been placed alongside landmarks, on shopping streets and even outside Hull Royal Infirmary to encourage people to play for free, although the endeavour suffered a setback when the bats and balls were stolen from a table in King Edward Street at the weekend.

Ping! is a month-long event organised by Sing London, an arts organisation aiming to deliver a “mass participation legacy” from the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

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The Ping-Pong Parlour, described as a “table tennis social club on wheels”, will park at 28 Paragon Street from noon until 6pm between Wednesdays and Saturdays to host everything from “ping-pong bingo” to film screenings and a dating game where singles may find their match.

Project manager Meera Sodha said: “Putting a ping-pong table on the street gives people a chance to connect with other people and the city around them, suddenly everyone is talking, playing, smiling and having fun – it generates an enormous sense of well-being.”