Transcript: Ping Pong: A Chinese Obsession

STEVE INSKEEP
NPR Morning Edition
08-22-2008
Ping Pong: A Chinese Obsession

Host: STEVE INSKEEP
Time 10:00-11:00 AM


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STEVE INSKEEP, host:

If you asked Americans to rank the most important sports to them, table tennis might come in somewhere a little above foosball or bumper pool. But in China this is a national craze, and rabid fans treat top players like stars. NPR's Frank Langfitt reports.

(Soundbite of cheering)

FRANK LANGFITT: Six thousand fans have packed the gymnasium at Beijing University. They're chanting, "Go Ma Lin," cheering on one of China's top ping pong players. All eyes are focused on a field of play that is just five by nine feet. But the action on the table ...

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