Search

While deep learning has been widely used for video analytics, such as video classification and action detection, dense action detection with fast-moving subjects from sports videos is still challenging. In this work, we release yet another sports video benchmark P2ANet for Ping Pong-Action detection, which consists of 2,721 video clips collected from the broadcasting videos of professional table tennis matches in World Table Tennis Championships and Olympiads. We work with a crew of table tennis professionals and referees on a specially designed annotation toolbox to obtain fine-grained action labels (in 14 classes) for every ping-pong action that appeared in the dataset, and formulate two sets of action detection problems—action localization and action recognition. We evaluate a number of commonly seen action recognition (e.g., TSM, TSN, Video SwinTransformer, and Slowfast) and action localization models (e.g., BSN, BSN++, BMN, TCANet), using P2ANet for both problems, under various settings. These models can only achieve 48% area under the AR-AN curve for localization and 82% top-one accuracy for recognition since the ping-pong actions are dense with fast-moving subjects but broadcasting videos are with only 25 FPS. The results confirm that P2ANet is still a challenging task and can be used as a special benchmark for dense action detection from videos. We invite readers to examine our dataset by visiting the following link: https://github.com/Fred1991/P2ANET. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The political, economic transition of post-socialist states in Central Eastern Europe and the Balkans took different directions in the 90s. More recently, countries like Hungary, have experienced democratic backsliding, while Western-Balkans states, such as Montenegro, have been stuck in a never-ending transition. Sport is often utilized as a tool by hybrid regimes that systematically degrade democratic principles, dismantle independent institutions and merge political monopoly with economic power. The present comparative study aims to introduce the sport diplomacy approaches of Hungary and Montenegro, focusing on the state-led utilization of sport in foreign affairs. We argue that hybrid regimes governed by strong political elites tend to influence or overtake control of the autonomous sport movements in order to shape their external image in a more conducive way and to support nationalistic political agendas through the popularity of sports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has been building sports stadiums in Africa at an increasing pace owing to its smart power—a combination of its values, cultural influences, and policies—alongside the unconditional economic incentives it gives African countries. The study examines the motives for and consequences of this policy—known as stadium diplomacy—as reflected through newspaper articles published in Chinese, African, and Western online news outlets. Chinese perspectives regard stadium construction as a springboard to increase China's hold on necessary raw materials and facilitate its access to emerging markets. African views are divided as to the benefits of the ties with China. Advocators maintain that the stadiums enable countries to host international sporting events and present a modernist image. Critics point at the discrimination against African labor and the fact that many stadiums are redundant, given that they mainly serve the interests of ruling elites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Global Sport Management is the property of the Global Alliance of Marketing & Management Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Table tennis is a sport that is enjoyed by many, including those with physical and intellectual disabilities. This scoping review summarised the current test protocols for assessing table tennis technical proficiency in individuals with disabilities. Relevant articles were searched through four databases (Scopus, PubMed, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science) covering three key aspects: disability, table tennis, and technical proficiency. The search resulted in 14 studies included for data extraction, covering physical impairments, intellectual disability, and development coordination disorder. Almost all studies (93%) were conducted on well-trained para-table tennis athletes competing in high-level competitions. There exist protocols to assess service accuracy and stroke accuracy, hand–eye coordination, quality of specific skills and ball control, functional reach, and trunk rotation. The forehand topspin and backhand topspin drives were tested the most. Table tennis robots and video cameras are the common equipment used. Moving forward, future research should develop technical proficiency tests for players across all competency levels. The skill assessment criteria and scoring methods should be standardised and clearly explained. The validity and reliability of tests should be established. Lastly, there is great potential in using artificial intelligence to enhance the assessment of table tennis proficiency in individuals with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new material introduced by the ITTF in 2014 for table tennis balls has attracted significant attention from players and coaches. Changes in both material selection and production procedures are likely to have affected the static performance of the ball. However, the raw data regarding the elasticity and hardness of these new material balls, encompassing various brands and structures, often lacks practical information crucial for players' rapid adaptation and daily training. The static properties tested in this study were provided by the ITTF, covering both hardness and elasticity. Based on computed variables, this study revealed that the hardness of seam balls at the equator was not consistently higher than that at the pole. Additionally, the study confirmed that the hardness and bounce height of new material balls exceeded those of celluloid. Furthermore, correlation analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between these two properties, revealing a significant correlation between the hardness of seamless balls and their elasticity. This study provides an analysis of the static performance of various types of new material balls, aiding players and coaches in better understanding official event balls and offering a theoretical foundation for the formulation of diverse training and game strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In France during the 1930s, sports leisure activities were progressively expanding. Table tennis experienced a surge of popularity in 1932–1933, in particular in the back rooms of drinking establishments. Yet from 1934, there was a dip in the number of spectators attending table tennis events, in its practice in clubs, in articles about it in the press, and in the market for table tennis gear. This study analyses whether this indicated a true decline in the sport or if the picture was more complex, reflecting differences between institutional sport and recreational leisure activities, as well as an effect of the press contributing to the lower visibility of table tennis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the early 1970s, as Sino-American relations thawed, China and the United States reached some consensus on the Korean Peninsula issue: seeking and maintaining a long-term stable and peaceful situation on the Korean Peninsula; recognizing the legitimate existence of both North and South Korea with equal political status; separately safeguarding the interests of North Korea and South Korea while restraining their respective allies; acknowledging the temporary presence of US forces in South Korea as a crucial factor in stabilizing the peninsula. As a result, China found itself in a dilemma in dealing with the Korean issue, unable to achieve "peaceful reunification" as desired by North Korea within the framework of the United Nations. Kim Il-sung harbored resentment toward this situation. In efforts to maintain its alliance with North Korea, China provided substantial military and economic aid and took various measures to consider Pyongyang's sentiments and interests. However, all these efforts proved insufficient to bridge the growing gap between China and North Korea in their foreign policy strategies: North Korea resisted China's anti-Soviet diplomatic strategy and opposed Mao Zedong's "Theory of Three Worlds," while China joined and maintained the existing international system. Continuing to promote world revolution, North Korea was willing to resort to force to achieve reunification. However, China emphasized regional peace and stability. Ultimately, the changing dynamics of Sino-American relations led to a state of estrangement in Sino-North Korean relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this essay is to provide a better understanding of Africa's sport industry and demonstrate how the industry can be transformed. Design/methodology/approach: To do so, the authors rely on their varied experiences within Africa's sport ecosystem. This includes reflections based on consuming sport in Africa, studying the sport business landscape, and first-hand experiences working inside African sport organizations. Findings: The authors find that systemic challenges restrict the growth of Africa's sport industry; however, they maintain there are also reasons to be optimistic about the prospects of the industry. Research limitations/implications: While not an exhaustive list, the authors' commentary defines various research opportunities for scholars interested in both better understanding and improving Africa's sport industry. Practical implications: The stated challenges and proposed strategies have the potential to inform decision-makers within Africa's sport ecosystem. Social implications: Crucial to the continued growth and development of the continent, the authors propose that investments in sport can drive broader economic and social development beyond sport. Originality/value: The authors address the dearth of academic literature on Africa's sport industry, while also inviting more researchers to undertake research agendas that enhance Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the wider context of the Cold War in the 1980s, a rare exception was a proposal for the potential co-hosting of the 1988 Summer Olympics between Seoul (South Korea) and Pyongyang (North Korea). While diplomatic exchanges between the two countries in other areas had produced inconclusive results, a series of joint meetings were organised by the International Olympic Committee to facilitate North Korean participation in the Games while preventing any action that might undermine the Games' organisation. This historical analysis of these tripartite meetings aims to reconsider the frequently essentialist position of North Korea as a 'Games saboteur'. While the talks ultimately proved to be a failure, they did have an effect on sports diplomacy. The threat of a massive boycott by the socialist countries, which did not occur in the end, and the progress of the negotiations show that there can be compromises to the host city principle enshrined in the IOC Olympic Charter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advent of science and technology, sports activities have advanced at an unprecedented scale in recent years. The rising complexity of advanced technologies has substantial ramifications for the sports industry. Therefore, table tennis coaches can gain useful training and strategic insights by studying technical and tactical data. Thus, the major goal of this research work is to explore the autonomous use of data mining techniques in the evaluation of table tennis strategies and tactics. The primary goal of this study is to undertake in-depth research on a data-mining-based table tennis technical and tactical analysis system. The objective is to give coaches with exact insights into technical and tactical data related to table tennis by enabling them to make informed decisions and provide efficient background information. This paper first designs the overall architecture of the technical and tactical analysis system for table tennis by providing a thorough overview of its functional structure. This functional structure consists of three modules: data acquisition, statistical analysis, and technical and tactical information management. The database of the system is then explained, with a focus on the technical and action table types. Third, this study builds the suggested table tennis system utilizing MySQL database to mark each game in accordance with indications for technical and tactical analysis. The constructed system stores each point's information and template information according to each game's information. To enhance the security of data storage, the constructed system improves the efficiency of the overall data collection and query system by realizing targeted query and statistical data according to different technical and tactical indicators. In addition, this paper uses multi-condition screening and multi-condition sorting to process the technical and tactical information. Finally, this paper analyzes the table tennis approaches and tactics using a data mining technique. This is accomplished by combining sequential and inverse correlation analysis modes to produce an analysis system for table tennis tactics. The experimental findings show that the system performs commendably overall, with excellent data mining accuracy and efficiency. The efficiency of the suggested system is verified by the fact that it successfully improves training levels and competitive quality of athletes in table tennis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Table tennis was first included in the Olympic program at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. During the period 1988 to 2020, 811 athletes participated in the Olympic Games. Of these, a staggering 127 China-born table tennis players represented countries other than China at the Olympics. Collectively, these China-born athletes have officially earned these non-Chinese nations eight silver and seven bronze medals. Women have consistently migrated more than men. Did the number of China-born table tennis players who represent another country increase between 1988 and 2020, or was there a decline in numbers following the introduction of stricter eligibility rules in 2008? What are the major destination countries for China-born table tennis players? Through the life and stories of athletes, this study seeks to clarify that most of them obtained their new citizenship via ius domicilii and ius matrimony, meaning that they were naturalized through marriage or residency in their new countries. In short, we conclude that these athletes left China because of the extraordinary talent pool and their ambition to perform in an international event, such as the Olympics, in combination with existing diasporic migration corridors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: This heatmap analysis of positional behavior in table tennis can open the way for a more detailed analysis that can have far-reaching practical impacts on both tactical training and competitive match playing. (1) Background: Computer-based analyses have been widely used to study aspects of various team and racket sports. However, such analyses have so far eluded table tennis, except in special competition forms, under fixed laboratory conditions or have only tracked the ball. The aim was to detect a basic, global, positional behavior, independent of the score. (2) Methods: We investigated the player position of professional male table tennis players with respect to handedness (right/left), playing system (offensive/defensive) and racket holding (shakehand/penholder) to determine the applicability of automated analysis systems. We used existing video data of competitive matches (N = 198 sets; 2006–2020) and transliterated them into an x–y coordinate system. From this, we were able to conduct a heatmap analysis for different types of players. (3) Results: The comparison between right- and left-handed players resulted in a significant difference in the positioning of the x coordinate (D = 0.5663; p = 0.001). Both groups positioned themselves on average in their own backhanded half of the table (Re: x = −0.22 m, Li: x = 0.39 m). (4) Conclusions: Our results have yielded valuable insights into the importance of analyzing positional behavior in a differentiated manner depending on handedness, playing strategy and racket holding posture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Since mixed doubles have been set up in the table tennis competition of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, coaches and players have paid increasing attention to mixed doubles matches. This study aims to compare and analyse male and female performance in the different contexts of table tennis mixed doubles as well as the impact of their performance on the probability of winning matches. Methods: 100 matches between the top 30 mixed doubles were selected (based on the world rankings for 2019 to 2021) as samples. According to the stroke order of a mixed doubles match, the players are divided into four groups: male versus male (Pm–m), male versus female (Pm–f), female versus male (Pf–m) and female versus female (Pf–f). Then, new methods with concepts are proposed to analyse stroke performance by four groups of players in various competition contexts of mixed doubles. Results: (1) The stroke performance in the first four strokes was much better than that in the after four strokes (P < 0.05), and males performed better than female players in the first four strokes (P < 0.05). (2) The stroke performance of each group for winning matches was significantly better than that for losing matches (P < 0.01). (3) Players in each group performed better (P < 0.01) in the ahead and under control states than in the behind and lost control states. However, most stroke performance within the four groups was not significantly different in different states. (4) The impact of scoring rates by different groups on the winning probability of a mixed doubles match from high to low was Pm–f > Pf–f > Pm–m > Pf–m. (5) In the actual competition, the percentage of female players serving first in each game is 79.64%, and the percentage of the stroke group of female players serving to female players receiving (Pf–f) is 58.25%. Conclusion: This study considers several competition contexts to analyse the performance of male and female players in table tennis mixed doubles. We propose that the stroke performance of male versus female players is the most important factor affecting the results of mixed doubles matches. In addition, selecting the first server or first receiver in each game reasonably and analysing the stroke orders emphatically are also very important in mixed doubles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Alizes is the property of Universite de la Reunion and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Using symbolic politics theory, this study traces the changing political situation in Korea and its effects on the symbolic politics of the two Olympic games – held in Seoul in 1988 and PyeongChang in 2018 – from a historical perspective. It evaluates how different South Korean governments used the two Olympics as political tools. The data from in-depth interviews conducted with 10 participants and literature was quantitatively analysed. The results confirm that the symbolism of the Olympics has changed since the 1980s. In the past, the South Korean military regime promoted nationalism, nationalist ideology, and policies that emphasised individual sacrifice in the name of national interests. Therefore, the military regime used the symbolism of the 1988 Olympics politically to stabilize chaotic domestic sentiment and strengthen national unity, which was a calculated decision. In 2018, the liberal Korean government attempted to use the Olympics to secure political legitimacy. However, with the consolidation of democracy after the end of the military regime, resistance mounted against this brand of politics and a new moral system was established centred on fairness, diversity, and individual autonomy. South Koreans' perceptions of unification changed over time, which this resistance to the government's utilisation of symbolism during the 2018 Olympics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The observation and analysis of the game or the player's behavior and actions is a very important aspect of optimizing sports training in table tennis. The aim of this study was to present the applied method of observation, developed by Professor Wu Huanqun and modified by the authors, together with an assessment of its reliability. The method consists in observing the winning actions of a given player and the same actions of his opponent in parallel, on three levels of complexity. Levels 1, 2, and 3 are concerned with identifying increasingly detailed winning strokes and stroke combinations. To assess the reliability of the method, seven experts independently analyzed the men's final game of the World Championship 2019. Kendall's coefficient of concordance, with an χ2 significance test, was used to assess the compliance of the experts. Cronbach's alpha was used to assess internal consistency. The obtained results indicate the high compliance and internal consistency (thus, high reliability) of the assessed method: the highest at the Level 1 observation level and the smallest, but significant, at Level 3. The performed statistical analysis indicates a high agreement between the experts' opinions, which was taken as a measure of high reliability for the described method of observation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the table tennis mixed doubles competition was officially listed as the Olympic Games, the players around the world paid more attention to the project. In this background, the 20 mixed doubles finals were used in the literature, video observation, and analysis of multiple regression. From the receiving point of view, the score difference between men and women is not very great, but female players may be more consistent. The contribution of male and female scores to the game is more effective than model 1 and model 2 for different rounds. Therefore, model 2 is more efficient in the analysis of high-level table tennis competitions. Multiple regression model can be used to analyze and predict table tennis singles, doubles, and mixed doubles games, which we will see more and more in future research results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ataturk Yolu Journal / Atatürk Yolu Dergisi is the property of Ataturk Yolu Journal / Ataturk Yolu Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)