Tampa, Florida-headquartered Ashok (Ash) Bagdy has worked as vice president of outsourcing services with Cameo Corporate Services Limited for the past 15 years. In his free time, Ashok Bagdy enjoys traveling, camping, swimming, and ping pong.

In 2019, the World Championship of Ping Pong will return to Alexandra Palace in London from Jan. 26-27. 

Organizers note that, although recent technological innovations actually caused a loss of interest in the game, it has begun a resurgence in popularity thanks to the reintroduction of traditional sandpaper bats. The championship promises a return to the qualities that made the game so popular in earlier years.

Expert players point out the championship bats are now constructed of wood and covered with a fine-grained blue sandpaper, distinguishing them from the higher-friction rubber-covered bats that came into vogue with the development of rubber technology. The rubber-covered bats can produce so much friction on contact that they produce the visual illusion of one degree of spin when the ball is, in fact, exhibiting a completely different degree of spin. While this can produce a thrilling, ultra-fast-paced match, the resulting player misperceptions can lead to unforced errors.

Tickets for the 2019 World Championship event went on sale in mid-September 2018.