PHILADELPHIA (AP) " For the first time ever, the Women's Table Tennis World Cup is coming to the U.S. " bringing 20 top-ranked players from powerhouses as far afield as Singapore, Japan and Germany to Philadelphia. "I'm so excited that we can finally host the World Cup. After the Olympics, the World Cup is one of the most prestigious titles in ping pong, and winners will split a $150,000 prize pool. China has won every World Cup since the tournament began 20 years ago " but because of injuries " it won't be participating. Table tennis has enjoyed an uptick in popularity over the past few decades, but recently, player numbers have been stagnating, dropping from over 19 million in 2010 to around 16.5 million last year, according to USA Table Tennis.

Source: New Zealand Herald October 07, 2016 03:33 UTC