White vs. Orange balls

Tony Lum Asked 15 years ago

Coach,

When playing at the club or at work, we use orange balls almost always.  But when I watch the ITTF tournaments online I notice that they only use white balls.  Is there a reason for this?

Thanks,

Tony

Jeff Plumb Answered 15 years ago

Hi Tony,

They choose the colour of the ball that will be the clearest for watching on TV. For the ITTF tournaments they generally have a red floor, a blue table and a white ball. The contrast should make it easy for spectators to watch the ball.