The name "ping-pong" was in wide use before British manufacturer J. A row of books stood up along the center of the table as a net, two more books served as rackets and were used to continuously hit a golf-ball. It has been suggested that makeshift versions of the game were developed by British military officers in India around the 1860s or 1870s, who brought it back with them. The sport originated in Victorian England, where it was played among the upper-class as an after-dinner parlour game. Since 2008, a team event has been played instead of the doubles. From 1988 until 2004, these were men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles and women's doubles.
Table tennis has been an Olympic sport since 1988, with several event categories. The table tennis official rules are specified in the ITTF handbook. ITTF currently includes 226 member associations. Table tennis is governed by the worldwide organization International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), founded in 1926. Spinning the ball alters its trajectory and limits an opponent's options, giving the hitter a great advantage. Play is fast and demands quick reactions. A point is scored when a player fails to return the ball within the rules.
Except for the initial serve, the rules are generally as follows: players must allow a ball played toward them to bounce once on their side of the table and must return it so that it bounces on the opposite side at least once. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net. Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small rackets.