Table Tennis Collector 38 - ITTF

T
Showcase in Shanghai
The most exciting development for all table tennis collectors and lovers of history
and memorabilia recently has been the creation of the ITTF Museum in
Lausanne, Switzerland. Although the Museum itself is not yet open to the public,
many of the best exhibits made their debut in the public arena at the recent
World Championships in Shanghai, China. Chuck Hoey, the man whose many
hours of hard toil brought this to fruition, tells us the story in his own words.
he recent World Championships in Shanghai featured
the first stop on the LIEBHERR ITTF Museum
Tour, a celebration of Table Tennis heritage. Though an
enormous amount of work for only a one-week exhibit,
the visitors were clearly impressed by the dazzling array
of historical Table Tennis items in a 700 square meter
display.
Partial view of the Technical exhibit area in the Shanghai exhibit
Organization
The exhibit was presented in 3 sections: Technical, focusing
on the evolution of Table Tennis and its equipment;
Cultural, showing the impact of Table Tennis on world
cultures; and ITTF/Sport, an illustrated timeline history of
the ITTF, and the Hall of Fame. The exhibit also included
a small theatre where films of vintage matches could be
viewed, and the computer Table Tennis game from the
ITTF homepage.
The display cases, specially constructed in Shanghai for
this exhibit, were augmented by large background structures
with attached textiles and interior lighting. Designs
from the ITTF Museum collection were printed on the textiles.
Sample of the printed textile structures
Exhibits
By Chuck Hoey,
Curator ITTF Museum
Because Table Tennis is the national sport of China, I felt
an emphasis on the technical aspects of the sport was
appropriate. Probably the most important exhibit was the
very first game of Table Tennis, made in England in 1890.
This presented some security issues but the visitors respected
the protective barrier.
The first game of Table Tennis, D.Foster, England 1890
The many bat exhibits were also popular, with a demonstration
of an evolution from the earliest rackets to modern
times.
Visitors crowded around one of the bats exhibits
No. 38 The Table Tennis Collector Page 8