Ping Pong with Music, Art and a Robot

Back in the day, table tennis (or Wiff Waff as it was commonly known) was a sport played by aristocrats on their dining room tables. Through the years, it has evolved, let its hair loose, and is now enjoyed by pros and amateurs alike.

Social ping pong is a growing phenomenon. Adrian Leigh and his pals took note and formed Pongathon: a social playground that merges art, design, music and ping pong in London. Their events have more momentum than any ping pong ball this side of the Atlantic and they are making their way to the PUMA YARD.

“[Pongathon] introduces the game to more people,” says Adrian Leigh, Pongathon founder. “That can only be a good thing as table tennis itself has had in the past a bit of a reputation for being male dominated, rather unsexy, and played in sterile unsocial environments.

“At PUMA YARD, we’ll fuse music and sport together,” he says. “Pongathon will feature the now infamous ‘Pongbot Challenge,’ a ping pong robot that takes on all all-comers at singles and doubles, huge round the table participations, exhibitions games, knockout tournaments, Hula Hoop Challenges, Mini-Table Challenges and incredible visuals from VJ Coco.”

Wait, did he say ‘robot?’ Why yes he did. That’s reason enough to stop by…

Let the folks across town compete for gold while you and your mates compete for Pongathon bragging rights. Dames and dudes welcome. Matches will occur regularly during the 17 days and nights of PUMA YARD festivities.

For the latest Pongathon news, views and parties visit www.pongathon.com

Photo credit: Jim Hanner