Shanghai Daily news

Former world champions Zhang Deying (right) and Jiang Jialiang (center) paddle against local ping pong enthusiasts in a promotional event yesterday that’s part of the upcoming World Table Tennis Championship.(Photo: Shanghai Daily news)

Table tennis buffs will have a chance to compete paddle to paddle against former world champions during the upcoming world championship in Shanghai.
More than 500 amateur paddlers have signed up for the event, which consists of competitions in six different age groups. The winner of each category will qualify for an exhibition tournament on the sidelines of the blue-ribbon World Table Tennis Championship, scheduled to run between April 30 and May 6.
Around 200 ping pong enthusiasts turned out at the opening of the competition yesterday at Hongxia Mansion in Zhabei District, joined by former world champions Jiang Jialiang and Zhang Deying.
"I know people love ping pong, but such a big crowd along with the number of entries still surprises me a bit," said Zhang, a Shanghai native who won the women's doubles title at the 1981 World Championship.
Zhang and Jiang, a two-time world champion in men's singles, along with dozens of former Chinese world title holders, will form a formidable all-star team to cope with the amateur challengers.
"Fortunately, I still have one month to pick up my form," said Jiang. "Otherwise I don't think I can cope with these amateur players."