“It took me ten minutes to get used to it”: The red table, the unexpected star of the World Championships in Doha
It's the star of the start of the World Championships in Doha . It's there for every match, impossible to miss. Red for some, pink for others, it's even burgundy according to the International Federation (ITTF). Its nickname: the "Rainbow burgundy" table from the Chinese brand DHS, a model regularly used in other colors in major Championships.
"It is a spectacular blend of design, symbolism, and technology. The tabletop will feature a new color in the history of table tennis: Qatar's national burgundy. It is paired with a golden rainbow-shaped stand symbolizing the glory of the champions," the ITTF said in a statement. While the resemblance to the Qatari flag may not be immediately obvious, the differences in the tabletop's tones are more striking, from the almost red in the Qatar University gymnasium to the candy pink in the Lusail Arena, where the lighting is different.
"We see the center line a little less, but we see the ball very well."
So it's not a tribute to China, which reigns supreme in the discipline, and whose players were said to have been able to train for two weeks on the red table in Chengdu, during their training camp organized behind closed doors. Unlike Félix Lebrun and the other French table tennis players, who discovered the table a few days ago upon arriving in Qatar. "The color, it took me ten minutes to get used to it. You can see the center line a little less, but you can see the ball very well, so it doesn't change much," declared the world number 6, on the eve of his successful start to the competition against the Slovak Lubomir Pistej (4-0) .
The color of the table was chosen in reference to the flag of Qatar, host country of the 2025 World Championships. (E. Garnier/L'Équipe)
The 2025 French champion also expressed his satisfaction with the playing conditions provided by the red table. "I like the table because it grips a little and the ball slides a little less. I feel like it allows me to be comfortable in my counter-initiative game." Because each table has its own characteristics, taking more or less spin, and that can make the difference at the highest level.
While the color of the table varies - players are more used to black, blue or green tables - the playing surface "must be uniformly dark and matte" according to the rules established by the International Federation, leaving room for innovation as with racket coverings since 2021 .
On the other hand, the dimensions of the table are strictly identical for all competitions: 2.74 m long by 1.525 m wide, a tabletop located 76 cm from the ground, and a net height set at 15.25 cm. And the rules do not impose any material for the tables (they are made of chipboard and a colored varnish is spread on the tabletop), as long as a standard bounce of the ball is respected. This explains the disparities in grip between the tables of the different brands, which the players feel.
(P. Lahalle/L'Équipe)
For the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the choice was made for a black table (as for the WTT circuit tournaments), to which players are accustomed. The "Rainbow II," with its pink lines borrowed from the visual identity of Paris 2024, blends perfectly into the Arena at Porte de Versailles, which also has a black floor. It was on this table that Félix Lebrun won two historic bronze medals, the second in the team event with his brother Alexis and Simon Gauzy, defeating Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto.
(A. Bizzi /L'Équipe)
For the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the designers of the "MOTIF" Olympic table chose a turquoise-colored top cover, and above all a support with a special pillar in the shape of the letter "T" on each side of the table ("T" for Tokyo and for Table Tennis). However, some adjustments to the foot were necessary to ensure the stability of this table from the Japanese brand San-Ei, on which the French para-athlete Thomas Bouvais notably played.
(J. Prevost/L'Équipe)
Li Xiaoxia won her only world singles title in Paris in 2013, defeating her Chinese compatriot Liu Shiwen, on a blue DHS Rainbow table (a model that debuted for the 2010 World Championships in Moscow). The side of the table's stand was customized for the occasion with an Eiffel Tower made of multicolored balls and rackets.
(C. Koepsel/Getty images via AFP)
Butterfly caused a sensation at the 2012 World Team Championships in Dortmund, Germany, by unveiling "The Earth." A globe was embedded in the base of the table made by the Japanese brand. This didn't stop the Chinese from winning the women's and men's competitions, thanks in particular to Zhang Jike's victory in the final against Germany's Timo Boll.
(YouTube FFTT capture)
A design that's far less advanced than the previous, more recent tables. But the blue table from the Swedish company STIGA, less original with its eight exposed legs, deserves its place as it has left its mark on the history of French ping pong, with the world title won by Jean-Philippe Gatien (right), against the Belgian Jean-Michel Saive in Gothenburg (Sweden) on May 23, 1993.
(YouTube capture British Pathé)
At the ninth World Championships, which returned to England at Wembley after the first ones in London in 1926, Czechoslovakia's Marie Kettnerova (right) won her second world title by defeating Hungary's Magda Gall. The table, made by the American brand Spalding, was much more rudimentary at the time, with legs resembling those of a piece of furniture (and the center line was only present for doubles matches).
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