Los Angeles—The 2019 Ping Pong Fit International Festival will be launched at the Long Beach Convention Center on August 31 and September 1 concurrently with the 9th Annual 2019 LA Open Table Tennis Tournament Championship.
“Ping Pong Fit” program will be unveiled at the festival, which is hosted by Global Creative Cities Coalition (known as GC3) in conjunction with the City of Long Beach and with the support of USA Table Tennis (USATT).
The goal of the program is to encourage all Long Beach residents and visitors to play Ping Pong for fitness, health and socialization, according to GC3.
“We believe Ping Pong provides a new language to foster cultural exchange and generates all the benefits that such exchange may bring to a city,” said Monique Luo, the founder of GC3. “Our organization is focused on the transformative impacts that cultural exchange can bring to help cities develop unique identities for long-term sustainability.”
GC3 plans to donate Ping Pong tables to be placed in local parks and non profit youth and senior activity center throughout Long Beach, which is poised to become America’s first Ping Pong friendly city.
“Regular Ping Pong play promotes health, fitness, mental alertness, and social interaction,” said Barry Sedlik, the co-founder of GC3. “It is perhaps the only sport that can be played over a longtime regardless of age, income or physical ability.”
The festival, which is free to the public, will also feature well-known Chinese artists who will demonstrate the culture of silk embroidery, bamboo, ceramics, tea and calligraphy.
“The City of Long Beach sees GC3’s Ping Pong Fit Program as a key economic development tool,” said Seyed Jalali, Business Development Manager of Long Beach. “Making Long Beach Ping Pong friendly helps reinforce our city’s positive reputation as a great place to live, work and play.”
