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What is Ping?
24 July – 22 August 2010
This summer, 100 ping-pong tables will pop up across London’s landmarks, squares, shopping centres, estates, offices and train stations – from Soho Square to Westfield Shopping Centre, Tate Britain to the British Library, St Pancras International to Heathrow’s Terminal 3. Marked ‘Stop and Play’, the tables are up for four weeks for all to enjoy. Bats and balls are supplied: to join in the fun just borrow a bat from the side of the table!
Ping! has been created as a partnership between the ETTA and Sing London, the participatory arts organisation that produced last year’s Street Pianos Project with artist Luke Jerram. With its array of surprising locations and varied public events, Ping! makes participation irresistible.
Supported by National Lottery funding from Sport England’s Innovation Fund, Ping aims to get a million more people playing more sport by 2012. Ping! Will be delivered to four more cities over the next two years, returning to London for 2012. Further support comes from Yahoo!. a company who happens to love ping-pong.
Richard Yule, ETTA’s Chief Executive, said: “It is fantastic for table tennis to be at the forefront of further cutting edge interventions to increase sustainable mass participation. We recognize there is a growing and significant demand for informal opportunities to play table tennis that is outside of the scope of our traditional club and league structure. Ping! and the outdoor table initiatives will allow us to embrace this growing market and also re-establish table tennis in the public’s imagination as a fun, sociable and desirable sport to play.”
Colette Hiller, Creative Director of Sing London says “Ping! is for everyone – those who love table tennis and those who didn’t know they did. A quick game of ping-pong en-route to work or over a lunchtime sandwich? What better way to put a smile on the face of Londoners!”
As well as free-play, each ping-pong table features a varied programme of master-classes, competitions and free to join activities. Highlights include:
• The Ping Pong Parlour – A ping pong lounge with ongoing activities at 7 Marshall Street W1
• Passport to PINGland – Perform 3 ping-pong challenges and win
• A free bat – At various locations – Part of the Cultural Olympiad – July 24
• Literary Ping Pong Quiz – At the British Library – July 30th 12:30 PM
• Spin In The Square – Master-classes across London’s Squares – August 5th
• Singles for Singles – Find a partner at Golden Square – August 12th 6:30 – 8:00PM
• Late Night Natural History Museum Ping Quiz – At the Natural History Museum – July 30th
• Whiff Whaff; An Active, Playful Lecture – At the Geoffrye Museum – August 8th 3- 4PM
• Smash The City – A league tournament across the City of London
• Sing n Ping – The summer singalong/pingalong at Victoria Embankment
• Gardens August 20th 6:30 – 7:30PM
Sport England’s Chief Executive, Jennie Price, said: “ Table tennis has wide appeal, and I hope thousands of people will take advantage of these outdoor tables and will enjoy playing.”
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