SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. —
As the little white ball travelled up to 100 kilometres straight at them, some of Canada's top young table tennis players were on their toes at Credit Union Place on Wednesday.
Starting July 4, Summerside will host the Table Tennis Canadian Junior Nationals with over 100 athletes competing at CUP.
Four Islanders, Daniel Zhao, Mike Li, Mike Li and Luciano K. Yorinori, are set to compete in the tournament.
Prince Edward Island hosted the championships twice before, once in 1993 and a second time in 1998.
"It's a big promotion for table tennis on the Island and for junior development," said Najam Chishti, Team P.E.I. coach.
Table tennis was invented in the early 1900s. By 1988 it became an Olympic sport.
"The landscape has changed a lot. The media of it - there's a lot of live streaming. China is still No. 1 in the world right now. But it's definitely developing in Canada," said Thorsten Gohl, marketing director with Table Tennis Canada.
He said it's likely millions of Canadians have been exposed to it in some way.
"It's a fun sport. You can do it when you're four or five and you can do it when you're 100. But it's also a brain sport where people have to think fast and act fast."
The championships will run from July 4 to 7. For a full schedule go to https://ttcanada.ca/event/2019-canadian-junior-championships/.
