Another move in ‘ping pong diplomacy’

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32586, 21 April 1971, Page 14

Another move in ‘ping pong diplomacy’

(N.Z.P. A.-Reuter-—Copyright)

HONG KONG, April 20. A hastily-assembled Australian table tennis team crossed into China today on a trip of “ping pong diplomacy.”

Cheering Chinese sports enthusiasts ran alongside the train as it pulled away from the station in Kowloon in brilliant sunshine.

But the cheers were mostly for Chinese table tennis players who shared the same coach with the Australians and were returning to Peking from the world championships in Nagoya, Japan. Dr John Jackson, president of the Australian Table Tennis Association, sat back beaming after performing a magician’s trick of conjuring up a team in 24 hours. The three p!ayers-«-Paul Pinkewich, Stephen Knapp

and Ann McMahon—end the! coach, Mr Noel Shorter, sipped soft drinks and ate chocolates during the train trip to the border. After the recent world championships they stayed to train at Japanese universities.

"It took 11 telephone calls to Tokyo and back to get them here,” Dr Jackson said.

The Australians said they expected to be in China for 10 days but still did not know their itinerary. They followed in the footsteps of table tennis teams from the United States, Britain, Canada, Colombia and Nigeria which were all invited to China. Dr Jackson, wearing a dark blue suit and striped tie, said he thought the trip would benefit relations between the peoples of Australia and China but he said he was not interested in politics. "It’s my personal wish that a Chinese team can visit Australia but this does not depend entirely on me,” he said.

Asked if the trip had been unexpected, Mr Shorter, from

Sydney, said: “That is an understatement. If you had told me three days ago that we were going to Peking I would have said you were kidding.” Two smiling Chinese officials, wearing black Maostyle tunics, came over to shake hands with the Australians. They were with the Chinese table tennis team returning to Pekihg. Asked what else she wanted to do in China apart from table tennis, Miss McMahon said: “I hope to see the stock exchange if they have it there. You see, I work for a stockbroker.” Pinkewich, aged 20, of Sydney, keen k on cine photography, filmed with his r " ' ~

movie camera as the train chugged past rice paddies and sun-splashed beaches on the way to the Chinese border.

The long-haired, bearded Knapp, at 17 the youngest in the team, said he would like to see the Chinese play in Australia.

“The Australian public has not really seen any great table tennis,” Knapp said. "If the Australian public sees how real table tennis should be played then there would be greater interest in the sport.” Dr Jackson said that an Australian tour by a Chinese team would be of "enormous value” in improving the standards of table tennis in his country.