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Thousands of Londoners will be playing table tennis in the street this summer thanks to the first investment by Sport England’s Innovation Fund in a project titled Ping!

Ping!, which runs from July 24th 2010 will see 100 table tennis tables spring up across London’s most visible spaces including squares, landmarks, offices, train stations, community locations and even airports. All tables will be available for free impromptu use, alongside a varied programme of master classes, competitions and round the clock activity including:

• Passport to Pingland
• Literary Ping Pong
• Master Class Coaching Sessions
• Beat-the-robot contests
• Singles For Singles
• Battle of The Rails
• Surreal Ping Pong at the Barbican
• Wiff Waff – A Playful Lecture

Equipment will be provided with each table, with bats bearing the request to: “Please put me back”. Local custodians such as shop keepers will look after the equipment.

Ping! is being delivered through a unique partnership between Sing London, a participatory arts organization and the English Table Tennis Association (ETTA). ETTA has already begun installing 50 permanent outdoor tables across London, also funded by Sport England, and these will be complemented by 50 hard-wearing temporary tables, which will be erected for a month, beginning on July 24.

After launching in London, Ping! will travel to four other cities in England before returning to London as part of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic celebrations, giving well over 200,000 people the chance to pick up a bat and get involved for free.  Sport England is investing £216,848 of National Lottery funding in the first year of the scheme, with further investment earmarked for 2011 and 2012.

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