The table tennis competition of the Paris Olympics will be held from July 27 to August 10 at the South Paris Arena. Double Fish Sports, a subsidiary of Guangzhou Light Industry Group, has become the table tennis supplier for the Paris Olympics, providing the official match ball, PAR40+. On July 30, the PAR40+ witnessed the first gold medal of the Chinese table tennis team, and we look forward to the team winning all five gold medals in Paris. While Double Fish table tennis balls shine on the Olympic stage, Double Fish Sports will also debut intricately carved hollow table tennis balls in Paris. This collection, named "Beyond the National Sport: Stories of Chinese Sports," resonates with Lingnan craftsmanship, deeply exploring the connection between sports and art, and showcasing a new culture of Chinese table tennis.

Double Fish Sports Debuts Carved Hollow Paris Balls to Tell the Story of Chinese Sports

Table tennis is China’s national sport. The small silver ball has once spun the globe, becoming a cultural bridge between China and the world.

To highlight the spirit of Chinese sports culture during the Olympic year and to open a new chapter in table tennis culture, Double Fish Sports not only provides the official match balls for the 2024 Paris Olympics but also makes an unprecedented attempt to transcend the traditional attributes of table tennis balls. Using the Double Fish Paris Olympic ball as the core medium, and in collaboration with Guangzhou Arts & Crafts, they have created the first batch of intricately carved hollow Paris balls, innovatively presenting the epic culture of Chinese sports history.

Double Fish Sports has introduced five intricately carved hollow Paris balls, each depicting a different theme: Polo Competition in the Tang Dynasty, Cuju in the Song Dynasty, Tidal Bore Riding in Qiantang, Ice Sports in Houhai, and Table Tennis in New China. These small balls delicately narrate the epic of Chinese sports, the dreams and efforts of Chinese athletes, and the peak and glory of New China’s table tennis, showcasing the intersection of Olympic spirit and Chinese sports culture.

Carved Hollow Table Tennis Balls: A Breakthrough in Arts and Crafts

The intricately carved hollow Paris balls were led by Ma Zhuobin, an inheritor of ivory carving heritage. By combining the Southern School’s ghost-carving hollow craft, partial compositions of dragon boat paintings, and micro-carving techniques, they achieved exquisite detailing on the table tennis balls.

According to Guangzhou Arts & Crafts, unlike materials such as eggshells, bones, and teeth that naturally have hardness, table tennis balls have a soft, smooth texture and elasticity, with an average thickness of only 0.2mm-0.3mm, making micro-carving a significant challenge. There have been no prior attempts at micro-carving on table tennis balls.

“After nine months of repeated trials and modifications, technical innovations, and over 300 tests, we discarded more than 1,000 table tennis balls before finally producing 30 complete works. Showcasing traditional craftsmanship combined with modern materials on the surface of a table tennis ball as thin as a hair marks a significant breakthrough in carving techniques,” stated Guangzhou Arts & Crafts. The process of transforming a table tennis ball into an art piece through various techniques is pioneering.

Setting Sail with Art: Continuing the Beautiful Story of "Small Ball Moves Big Ball"

This year's Olympics, held in the "City of Art" Paris, will see the brilliance of culture and art shine worldwide. Double Fish Sports, in collaboration with Guangzhou Arts & Crafts, has created the intricately carved hollow Paris balls, achieving a fusion of sports culture, traditional craftsmanship, and modern materials. This cross-disciplinary effort represents the technological progress and development of Chinese competitive sports equipment and offers a new interpretation of the story "Small Ball Moves Big Ball" for sports enthusiasts worldwide.

This set of intricately carved hollow artistic balls will travel with Double Fish Sports to Paris, accompanying Chinese Olympic athletes as they step onto the global stage. At this premier sporting event, these artistic balls will showcase their immense cultural potential and value. They will also serve as a special tribute to sports figures, global sports elites, and media professionals from around the world, conveying the spirit of the Double Fish Sports brand.

Currently, ITTF President Petra Srling, the oldest table tennis competitor in this Olympics Ni Xialian, and ITTF Athletes Commission Chair Liu Shiwen have all received carved hollow table tennis balls. They have all praised this unique gift and look forward to witnessing the creation of more gold medals with the official competition ball, the PAR40+.