Article: U.S. struggles to make table tennis popular

he ball moves so fast that 27-year-old Yassin Sibai doesn't even look for it. Instead, he focuses on his opponent's hands.

By studying minute changes in posture and flicks of his opponent's wrist, Sibai gauges the spin and direction of the small celluloid ball as it rockets toward him at nearly 100 mph.

While the persistent hollow clack of a Ping-Pong ball hitting the table reminds most Americans of community center rec rooms or lazy, rainy Sundays in Mom and Dad's basement, table tennis is an Olympic sport in which the competition -- particularly in Europe and Asia -- is stiff.

Ping-Pong is a registered trademark of the Parker Brothers corporation and therefore, for official purposes, ...

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