China news agency, Washington, December 14 th: Chinese and American table tennis circles commemorate the 52 nd anniversary of table tennis diplomacy: or "friendship first, competition second"
China News Service reporter Chen Mengtong
"We are so lucky. We once played against a famous table tennis player in China, and now we are going to play against the younger generation of world champion Ding Ning. I hope she can also follow the slogan of the year-‘friendship first, competition second’. "
Dell Sweeris, who is over 70 years old, made the audience laugh.
China’s embassy in the United States held a celebration in Washington on the evening of 13th local time to commemorate the 52nd anniversary of China-US table tennis diplomacy, and invited Peking University table tennis team, American table tennis masters Dale, Connie and young table tennis players in the greater Washington area to review the history and look forward to the future in the form of table tennis exhibition.
Mr. and Mrs. Dale are the witnesses of ping-pong diplomacy between China and the United States. Connie was a member of the American table tennis delegation who visited China in 1971, while Dell received a table tennis delegation from China who returned to the United States in 1972. Ping-pong diplomacy, turning a "big ball" with a "small ball" and breaking the ice that separates China and the United States, is still an important milestone in the history of the development of bilateral relations.
With the old photos shown on the spot, Connie recalled her unforgettable experience of visiting China that year. She said, "Our trip broke down many barriers, promoted exchanges between the United States and China, and enhanced understanding between the two peoples. I hope that the younger generation of athletes can inherit the heritage of ping-pong diplomacy and continue to promote the development of bilateral relations. We can be friends, not enemies. "
China’s Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng and Connie kicked off the exhibition match. Before the kick-off, Xie Feng shook hands with Connie and said, "Our friendship comes first and the game comes second."
The exhibition games were held in men’s singles, mixed doubles, men’s doubles and women’s doubles, with a single game of 11 points.
The first men’s singles was played by Fang Fang, vice president of Peking University, against stephanie moore, vice president of the University of Virginia. Although the two sides are not professional players, they have been biting the score, and in many rounds of confrontation, they fought to 11 draws. The referee indicated that the winner was only two points ahead, but both sides chose to shake hands and hug to make peace. "We are also’ friendship first, competition second’." Fang Fang said with a smile.
The second mixed doubles match was launched in the form of a Chinese-American partnership. Dell teamed up with China’s women’s table tennis doubles and mixed doubles player Liu Wei against China’s "Grand Slam" player Ding Ning and 15-year-old Maryland player Du Mu. Four people took turns to pull, which attracted applause from the scene. Dell frequently smashed scores in the game. Seeing that the score was behind, Ding Ning made his trademark "squat chop serve", which led to Dell’s failure to receive the serve. However, the combination of Dell and Liu Wei still won the game with a big lead.
"I almost caught that serve." Dell still told the China News Service reporter after the end, "This game filled me with memories, and I seemed to travel back and forth in time. Table tennis has given me the privilege of knowing outstanding China athletes from generation to generation, and it has also made me gain friendship. "
In the following competitions, the table tennis players of Peking University staged wonderful confrontations with players from the University of Maryland, the University of Virginia and local junior high schools.
The commemoration of the evening ended with Chinese and American guests jointly cutting the table tennis theme cake. However, the table tennis table at the scene has never been idle, and young table tennis players from China and the United States take turns to play and learn skills. Let’s have a friendly match, and another one will be on the scene soon. (End)