China And U.S. Pairs Have First Table Tennis Championships Joint Training In Texas

HOUSTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 22: (COMPILATION) Kanak Jha, Wang Manyu, Lily Zhang and Lin Gaoyuan, four table tennis players, are in the training on November 22, 2021 in Houston, Texas. The two mixed pairs of Chinese and American table tennis players on Monday had their first joint training for the upcoming competitions at the 2021 World Table Tennis Championships in Houston. The world championships is scheduled for November 23 to 29. To mark the 50th anniversary of Ping Pong Diplomacy, the Chinese Table Tennis Association and the U.S. Table Tennis Association jointly submitted the request to allow China-U.S. pairs to compete with the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). The ITTF approved the request and announced on Sunday that China's Lin Gaoyuan will pair with American paddler Lily Zhang, and Kanak Jha from the U.S. will play with Wang Manyu from China. (Footage by CCTV+ via Getty Images)