We list, we advocate, and we connect
Welcome to Ping Pong In Vancouver! This is a non-profit, ad-free website built with three goals in mind by Vancouver citizens who love table tennis, affectionately referred to as ping pong. One, we list places to play ping pong in Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Coquitlam and soon Richmond. Two, we advocate for standardized table tennis infrastructure in Vancouver parks. Three, we connect players looking for partners. Thank you to all who have added your name to the Players Directory, and may you find friends to play.
What's happening now…
Updated: November 8, 2023 –
As the end of 2023 approaches, so does the end of our editor-in-chief’s year-long journey from average player to a prime seat at the centre of power of organized table tennis in BC. Stay tuned for chapter one, publishing November 16! Anyone interested in the trajectory of amateur table tennis in BC will find this a great read. Stay tuned.
A big shout-out to Ken J. for bringing to our attention a set of two ping pong tables in yet another Burnaby park, Ernie Winch Park. We’ll be hopping on our bikes to report on the TT court very soon. Ken also reminded us to include KK Table Tennis club in New Westminster to our list of clubs. We’ll be sure to visit and report.
For anyone who might have missed it, our editor-in-chief Beeyo is back after two weeks in the Big Apple, where he searched for table tennis opportunities in NYC. Here’s that report.
On November 1 we received word from the Vancouver School Board this week that site preparation is scheduled to begin on November 7 for Vancouver’s first dedicated outdoor table tennis court at Windermere Secondary School. It’s been a long wait since that first announcement. Ground breaking did occur yesterday and by day’s end the area was excavated in prep for the concrete. We’ll have pics documenting the construction.
Back in Vancouver, we couldn’t help but notice (over the past two years of reporting) that there are actually few places to play organized table tennis in our city. We will report on this and the answer to increasing the number of table tennis venues in early November.
As the fall rains dampen our efforts to play ping pong outside, we want to THANK all you players out there who’ve recently added your name to the players directory! Most of you are new to Canada or are visiting from far off places. There are many countries represented! It’s like a tiny “united nations”, unified through love for the sport of table tennis. May each of you find your best game through others 🙂
Finally, once our inventory of current community centre table tennis programs is complete, PPinVan will be publishing evaluations, including the best, the worst, and the hidden gems.
Stay tuned, and keep chasing that small white ball! Namasté.
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Ping Pong In New York City
Ping Pong In Vancouver’s Editor-in-Chief Beeyo travelled to New York city this past September to, apart from the touristy things, check out the table tennis scene in the borough of Manhattan. Expecting to find a long established downtown clubs and a thriving community of players around every free ping pong table in town, here’s what he found…
TT4Ever for Everyone, Everywhere
Who says kids are self-absorbed with their heads buried in social media? Not the kids who make up TT4Ever, a non-profit dedicated to promoting access to table tennis for everyone, for ever. The Ontario-based table tennis advocacy group led by table tennis star and university student Kevin Guo, sprang into being last year. It’s made up of young people like Kevin who have a strong belief in table tennis as a sport that unites people, helps people heal, and extends the boundaries open to people with physical limitations. TT4EVER and the North Shore Table Tennis Club held an exciting fundraising tournament on September 9 drawing excellent local talent and visiting players from Japan and Ukraine.
Paul’s Table Tennis Academy
Richmond’s Paul Qi is one of Canada’s top table tennis players and he’s recently opened a small venue specializing in one-on-one coaching. At Paul’s Table Tennis Training Academy at the River Club (near No. 5 Road and Steveston Highway) he shares his deep knowledge of the sport with players of all levels eager to improve their game. Equipped with my shoes and racquet, I dropped by on August 17th to meet Paul, check out his new training academy, hit a few balls, and maybe pick up a few pointers.
Coquitlam Municipal Hall Tables
We started out listing and evaluating places to play ping pong in Vancouver but since the city has so few places to play, we’ve moved on to adjacent municipalities like Burnaby, New Westminster and now Coquitlam. Over the Canada Day weekend, we dropped by the lower mainland’s latest outdoor public table tennis court, Coquitlam Municipal Hall Tables. Nice! There are two aggregate stone table tennis tables by Sanderson Concrete, the go-to table when you want the installation to last 50 years, set towards the edge of a large plaza that by design, invites people to stay awhile.
Outdoor Table Tennis: Vancouver Vs. Burnaby
We are two years into our mandate to promote and support the development of outdoor table tennis courts in Vancouver parks so it’s time to briefly report on what has NOT happened in the past 24 months. We’ve concluded that Vancouver is really not into providing safe, standardized table tennis courts in parks around the city and things are not likely to change anytime soon. While adjacent municipalities are blazing ahead with outdoor table tennis courts, Vancouver park planners don’t seem to get it at all.
Cosports Table Tennis Club
When Raymond Li’s Cosports multi-sport complex opened its doors for the first time in 2022, it instantly became the best table tennis venue in the province, and for good reasons. In addition to badminton courts, Cosports boasts 10+ table tennis courts under bright lights in a large gym with IFFT-approved flooring designed specifically for table tennis. The equipment is top-notch, the courts are spacious, and there are changing rooms and showers. It’s open from 10am to 10pm every day. Sure, it’s not in Vancouver but we sure do wish it was. It’s absolutely worth a visit!
Cameron Park Tables (Burnaby)
What can we say? Here is another quality table tennis court located in a Burnaby park! It seems Burnaby is treating table tennis like a real sport by building courts in parks, just like tennis but at a fraction of the cost. Surrounded by trees, the Cameron Park Tables may be the best outdoor table tennis court in Burnaby.
401 Georgia Table
The lone ping pong table at 401 West Georgia seems like it would be a favourite for office workers at noon hour. This second table tennis court associated with a downtown office building is not the oasis like the Oxford Place Tables, but it is completely sheltered from rain positioned under the overhang of the office tower. Tucked in close to the building, the table is also likely shielded from some of the winds that often plague outdoor ping pong on plazas.
GVPPS – Greater Vancouver Ping Pong Society
Meet head coach Helen Wu and the Greater Vancouver Ping Pong Society, the latest table tennis club to open up in Burnaby. We haven’t visited yet to play but Helen kindly submitted a description of the club and programs, and we like what we see.
