Ping-Pong: The 'Unhealthy' Sport Banned by the Soviets for Decades

The ban, enforced by the Soviet All-Union Council of Physical Culture, was part of a broader ideological drive to promote mass, physically robust sports aligning with socialist ideals. Table tennis, perceived as an individualistic, eye-straining, and overly exciting game, was considered counterproductive to building a strong Soviet workforce. Despite the prohibition, the sport continued unofficially in many areas, and its eventual re-legalization in 1950 led to its rapid growth and Soviet dominance in the sport by the 1960s.