Pingpong diplomacy comes to Qatar

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — In a 21st century spin on pingpong diplomacy, North and South Korea and India and Pakistan paired up in a one-day table tennis tournament on Tuesday aimed at promoting peace between rival nations.

Other teams include Russia-United States, China-Qatar and France-Japan for the doubles event sponsored by the Monaco-based Peace and Sport.

Iran was initially included among the 10 teams but withdrew without explanation.

On the men's side, North Korea's Kim Hyok Bong and South Korea's Ryu Seung-min beat Yiyong Fan of the United States and Russia's Grigory Vlasov 3-0 to win the final. American Lily Zhang and Anna Tikhomirova of Russia beat Kim Kyung-ah of South Korea and Kim Hye Song of North Korea 3-2 in the women's final.

Host Qatar has been targeting sport to showcase its global aspirations. The Gulf nation has successfully bid for football's 2022 World Cup and will make a new Olympics bid.

Ian Marshall, a spokesman for the International Table Tennis Federation, said the tournament had already reaped dividends as the North and South Koreans spent the past two days together, including at a welcome dinner on Monday.

"They met Monday morning and met with local children," Marshall said. "They talked to each other and were the very best of friends which is what we are trying to achieve here."

The tournament also fits into Qatar's efforts to raise its diplomatic profile. It already has hosted talks to ease conflicts in Lebanon and Sudan's Darfur region, and is leading Arab League efforts to end the bloodshed in Syria.

Now, it hopes table tennis can ease tensions between some of the world's greatest rivals.

India and Pakistan have come close to war several times, especially over the disputed Kashmir region. In the tournament, Sadia Falak Sher of Pakistan and India's Poulomi Ghatak lost to China's Cao Zhen and Ai Mohamed of Qatar in the quarterfinals. But for Ghatak, losing made little difference.

"We played great together, we played in synchrony and it was a pleasure," Ghatak said. "It was for me a lifetime experience that I will never forget. It is a question of peace and love. All countries need to understand cooperation and we will live in a better world."

The two Koreas have been in a technical state of war since the 1950s and territorial disputes still flare, such as the deadly artillery attack on a front-line island a year ago Wednesday. Meanwhile, relations between Pakistan and America have soured over U.S. drone attacks and the secret mission that killed Osama bin Laden.

And then there are lingering suspicions between the U.S. and China over the latter's growing economic clout.

Relations between the two world powers have improved markedly, though, from 40 years ago when "pingpong diplomacy" was first employed. It was then that nine Americans played against their much stronger rivals on Chinese soil — an event that helped usher in improved relations.

"This event may mark a new era for pingpong diplomacy, or in today's lingo pingpong Diplomacy version 2.0," ITTF President Adham Sharara said. "It has always been my dream that our sport is used in peace initiatives bringing together representatives from different countries and have them play together side by side in an atmosphere of peace and understanding."