China to Carry out "Ping-Pong Census"Foreign reporters used to ask the Chinese Ping-Pong Association (CPA) how many people have kept on playing ping-pong and how is the mass basis of ping-pong games in China, the ping-pong kingdom?"No one could answer the question before, but answers will be provided in future," said Yu Bin, vice secretary-general of CPA when he presided over a ping-pong match held between seven western provinces. "For a membership system is to be followed by the CPA this year it will be formed of three parts, group, individual and honorary members," he said. Yu Bin recommended individual members are ping-pong enthusiasts who will be specially recruited into the CPA in China. It will promote ping-pong games as a sports activity for getting fit by all people through good organizational work. It is like a "ping-pong census" not only to enable people to know well about the mass basis of ping-pong sports in China but also help to find and train ping-pong talents. Twelve groups from different areas have registered as group members since this March. Individuals number 214 having registered as individual members in Shandong designated first experimenting on the membership system. All secretaries-general of Ping-Pong Associations in Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia and Xinjiang have actively followed suit in orbiting the new development of their ping-pong games. The CPA is also mulling on club matches to be held following a match system in China. A nine level ceiling will be decided for a great mass of enthusiasts to join in at a varied level in the matches in the way ping-pong sports will be vigorously developed in China. |
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