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The ping-pong diplomacy

's all ready for the World table tennis of 1971, Nagoya. Before the races, for each of the 54 registered teams are allowed two hours of training outside the training areas. We are training the United States, who arrived with no hope of getting too far in both the team competition and in individual tournaments. While they train, suddenly come into full figures 30-40 brown: it is the Chinese delegation. All are intent not so much to look at the Americans, as an eighteen year old Swedish Stellan Bengtsson, who apparently has nothing extraordinary. The U.S. team has nine players, men and women. The delegation is composed of women Olga Soltesz, 17 year old Judy Bochenski and Orlando, 15 year old Eugene, Oregon, called to replace Irene Ogus and Alice Green. With them, Wendy Hicks, a finalist at the U.S. Open in 1971, and Connie Sweeris, who had beaten 25 - 23 in the final one, whose main concern was having to leave home in the two year old daughter, Michelle, at home with her husband, Dell, the first alternate in the men's team, by then nicknamed Mr. Connie Sweeris. Male representatives to the stars and stripes were Dal-Joon Lee, thirty year old native of Seoul that the U.S. would become short and Cleveland ran an emporium of ping-pong and billiards; Errol Eseka, former national champion from the Dominican Republic, and researcher in the "Adjustment and Control" the Chemical Bank in Manhattan, George Brathwaite, with the dual nationality of USA and Guyana, who worked at the documents section of the UN, John Tannehill, 19 year old sociology student at the University of Cincinnati and Glen Cowan, a former U.S. junior champion, who studied, so to speak, in Santa Monica. But spent more time inside and outside the college, and it was a sort of hippie with long hair blond. A Captain Jack Howard, Systems Engineer at IBM, who hated his job and become the best player in the U.S. and the U.S. Open finalist in 1972. Come out early from the tournament, but that year, in Nagoya, they will change the history of the world.

The tournament

easily beats the Federal Republic of El Salvador, the audience really comes to life for North Korea-Singapore, with a mass of young Japanese students, even in sleeping bags sleeping through the night, or staying awake reading the book of former world champion Ogimura bought almost all or most of the tickets available for every hour of every single batch of those ten days. England plays, and wins against Vietnam, and Trevor Taylor, UK number one in the absence of Chester Barnes and Denis Neale, can not believe his ears and the voice that begins to circulate, but it is true that the Vietnamese wanted the Americans to play for them?

comes the time of the U.S. National. For women, with onset France. Connie Swearis lost the first set against the Rioual , goes by 14-9 in the second, but goes back to 20-17 before losing in a series of errors that lengthen the set. But she can not reply to passers-by of the Alps and loses. In the second match Wendy Hicks faces the Bergeret. difficulties in the service, the U.S. goes by 12-6 in the first, but it goes back up at 16-18, won a resounding counter-trading in and closes the set. In the second Bergeret Part ill, recovers, but lacks a hook on 19-20: 1-1.

In doubles play Connie and Wendy, but the former continues to suffer the bushing Rioual, Wendy can not find the right and takes refuge in counter-chop: USA 1, France 2. Wendy Hicks must beat the Rioual , he plays all the power. Everything the U.S. has to do is slow down, pace off and then strike. The first two sets, both concluded 21-19, are evenly distributed. In the third, the U.S. passes to lead 6-4 but soon finds himself under 8-10. From the exchange field, however, does not seem to find it first. Goodbye USA.

The national men must take on Hong Kong and North Korea to decide which side of the board end. Start with Hong Kong, the weaker of the two Asian rivals. But playing against Errol Resek Lung Sang: coat is immediate. The expert Dal-Joon Lee is a bit 'better, losing in three with some regret. The first lengthens the first 17-13, then 18-16. Serve on 20-17, but lost two points, missed a service, they wasted another and should watch helplessly as the enemy, but finding a fast straight hooked. However, not strikes, and second guesses from 17 of a series of tight shots that stretch the match to the third. Bad start, dating back to 12-11, then missed a topspin and a service. In short, but get in line ten points below. Glenn Cowan also lost, but in a match that could have won against Cheung Kwai, who then defeated in two Resek. Tactically Cowan in the first set is perfect maneuvers well, keeps the initiative, forcing the opponent to the network and inevitably passes. In the second comeback from 9 - to 14 18-16. Cowan relies here to smash, but you see shots that would have been winning against anyone else go back with a chop, a flat response, a chop: But he won 21-19. The third set is schizophrenic: Glenn salt 11-5, but adds a partial 9-0, Cowan then goes back to 17-14 before another 5 points of Ma On equal hits and farewell evil dreams of glory. His world, and that of the U.S., actually ends with the defeat against Lau Sek Fong (who lost to Lee). The U.S. lost 5-1 to Hong Kong, Korea and 5-0 with , then lose 5-4 to France , which will close the seventh.

One of the most anticipated match is certainly Sweden-Hungary. Kjell Johansson has not played for three months with an injury to the disc, Hans Alser won three major tournaments, with their eighteen-year old lefty Bengtsson, the guy that all the Chinese watching the training. Hungary will host the sample Beleznay Matyas, considered and two young even better, Istvan and Tibor Klamp Jonyer, beginning with Bengtsson. The Magyar play loads sidespin hooked shots, but Bengtsson locks the wrist, short game on the back of the opponent and strikes. Need short, but is more often than straight elusive. Score: Sweden 1, Hungary 0. Johansson, nicknamed "The Hammer" for the way you play the straight, it's just too powerful for Beleznay.

Alser But he does not win even a set with Klamp, which lets go of his arm as the Swede seems out of place and out of position throughout the match. Johansson, who likes to counter prejudice behind the very bottom line, he manages to tame the sidespin of Jonyer Klamp and played very badly against Bengtsson. Sweden salt 4 - 1, just one point from victory.

In the sixth match Johansson Klamp challenge: it must be under 1.10 in the third, and begins to understand that winning is not so easy. The Hungarian corner and puts him in the seventh Johansson can only contain the effect of shock loads, but not enough. Jonyer eighth match, using his straight top from the bottom, bring on the challenge 4-4.

The match will be decided by Bengtsson-Beleznay. The Swede starts badly, hard to read the back of the Magyars, but Bengtsson is rhythm, dynamics, and with his constant motion of the wrist that rotear to play straight sets in a row 15 points to 16 and run Sweden.

Next opponent: China that strategy game with a left-hander who prefers to defend, an attacking right-and third player who tends to play to cut and use a different type of sponge on each side of the racket . Johansson beat Li Ching-Kuang, one of the favorites to win the competition, but against Liang Ko-liang, the 21-year-old who plays with the other two sponges, and when you need it turns the racket under the table and slams his foot on the ground so that the opponent does not understand the noise of the ball what kind of sponge is using, and therefore what kind of effect you are facing, something happens. Johansson is on a set and 17-12 in the second, in the stands when an officer pulls a little red book Mandarin: only "Quotations of Mao." Li wins.

Johansson beat Chuang Tse-Tung, who has one of the best in the world and prefers the straight paths available, which also lost with Bengtsson. But Alser not won a game, loses by Li and Bengtsson China eventually passes, beating Hungary after a battle of three hours and 40 minutes and should be in the final. But the Chinese have seen well: Bengtsson become the world champion individual.

In the other group is the battle between the holders Title of Japan, which are starting to play like the Europeans, insisting with topspin, and Yugoslavia. Mitsuru Kohno opens with Surbek, physically the strongest table tennis players on the circuit, with an overdeveloped right bicep. Kohno, one of the few Japanese use a rough sponge, unable to climb out from under 5-13 in the first, but won the second measure of stretch in the third and smash up some of the best lob of Surbek, who is redeemed from Shigeo Itoh, Kohno and bend while Stipancic Isegawa. In the fifth match Karakasevic, a student of agriculture at the World Cup debut, Itoh challenge, defending champion. Itoh is an ace at some point, and raises his fist in front of the audience, who applauded. I also appreciate the team China, the stands in full force. Or almost: Chuang, Li Liang and not seen.

Karakasevic is exalted, and leaps at any point before answering, is in full flow and wins. Japan is under 4-1. Stipancic lost by Itoh, and slams her racket in frustration on the table under the third 7-13, Hasegawa fold Karakasevic Surbek and you get to the decisive confrontation between Kohno and Karakasevic. The Yugoslav Army, 19-18 in the first, missed a service, Kohno the next two: Karakasevic is the very expression of happiness and cheers and jumps. Kohno continues to run, a hit, wins the second, passes the opponent with a smash to go 10-8 in the third cross and the open way to victory. Karakasevic throws his racket into the air in frustration.

The final between China and Japan. Hasegawa won the first singles against Liang, who accidentally breaks a racket at the end of the second, thanks to the power of the back and a series of stunning lob bounce but always rising high on the right side of the field. Chuang crashes and smashes a backhand against Itoh winning two sets to zero, but falls against Kohno.

But Japan has not won more than two matches. Liang, equal to 19 against Hasegawa, returns to put the racket under the table, beat his foot: result, point and two service winners China. To say nothing of Li Ching-kuang, giving the defending champion 21-3 21-6 Itoh. China is world champion in the men's tournament team.

The same ending is repeated, as expected, even in the draw for women. Yukie Ozheki (whose manager said he managed "a secret practice" to improve the game) finds a way to embarrass Lin Hui-ching on the back and won the third, the advantages. The world champion Kowada, called "The fighter" who plays almost exclusively on top, closing with a maximum drop in the second shot, gives the second point to the Japanese. But China comeback to beat Kowada and Lin Hui-ching for the title. He has an arm that hurts the top is not as incisive as usual. In the deciding set 20-18 Kowada arrives, but there is a chop: 20-19. Top attack and drop the ball on the high side of Lin, who wants and does not want to risk it and eventually bury the shot on goal. Kowada covers his face with his racket around and explodes with enthusiasm.

a fateful

Rewind the tape. We return to the days of training, while the Chinese team observes the young Bengtsson and the U.S. are trying to find the key to victory will not come. The nine national players are not the only American in the land of China is also Leah Neuberger, "Miss Ping", world champion in mixed doubles in '56, traveling with the Canadian team invited by the Chinese delegation to visit the country . Invitation extended to U.S. national diplomatically. It is not over. Coming out of training Glenn Cowan realized that the bus has already left the U.S.. To go back there is only one of the Chinese national. And table tennis players blond with long hair and hippie salt air. E 'March 31, 1971.

been years since China did not participate in the national to the World Cup. Mao had agreed that the team left for Nagoya and ordered to submit reports three times a day and with strict instructions on what to do in Japan. "During the competition, should meet with the delegation of the United States, we do not take any initiative in talking or exchanging congratulations. If we face them, not exchange banners before the match, but we can shake hands at the end of games. " During a banquet, an American approaches to China and addressed a greeting, and the fact is immediately reported. Then, when one of their claim, jokingly, because they had not been invited to play in China along with Mexico and Canada, the temperature in the rooms buttons Beijing begins to rise. According to a report of Chou En Lai to Mao, which reflects the vision of the Sports Minister and the State Committee of Sport, the time is not yet ripe to invite the Americans, partly because the Chinese are strictly opposed to the conspiracy "two Chinas" (insist that is only one China of which Taiwan is part also).

American policy toward closing the People's Republic of China in 1949, but at the end of the sixties, with the Soviet threat more real and insistent, the Nixon administration wants to amend its foreign policy and improve its relations with China. "In the long run we can not afford to leave China forever outside the family of nations" Nixon wrote in Foreign Affair in October 1967. And Time magazine says: "We must not forget China. We must always look for a way to communicate. "

other hand, in 1955, the Bandung Conference, Premier Zhou En Lai said: "Chinese people do not want war with the Americans. The Chinese government want to start a dialogue which involves the normalization of the tensions in the Far East, particularly in the region of Taiwan. "

The first attempt at dialogue at ministerial level, which began in Warsaw in late 1969, does not bring results. On October 25, 1970 Nixon asks the President of Pakistan, Yahya Khan, visited the White House will be the bearer of American standards. It also prays to announce in Beijing that an American officer will secretly visit to China. A first opening arrived on December 18 is Mao Zedong. But the decisive meeting between the two table tennis players, on a bus in Nagoya.

Lian Geliang Gowan gives a picture, silk paper, the Huanghshan Mountains, a popular souvenir for tourists to Hangzhou. Gowan has nothing to reciprocate, but then offers him a shirt with a red white and blue flag, the emblem of peace and the words "Let it be." After the meeting between the two players and the media response which had sprung, Mao Urges U.S. players in China. No American had set foot in China since 1949. Mao opens the door for them even the Forbidden City and start a new era in relations between the two countries. At the moment to announce his approval of the visit, Mao said: "Zhuang Zedong not only plays well in table tennis but he knows how to lead a diplomatic negotiation."