(By Butterfly Global)
World Championships. One of the biggest stages in the sport. At Butterfly, we’ve always been driven to support it. And every challenge has a beginning.
It started with one player.
A player obsessed with table tennis.
His name was Hikosuke Tamasu. Born in 1920. He devoted everything to table tennis, and honed his skills until he reached the podium in every category at the All-Japan Table Tennis Championships. But that was just the beginning. His challenge was about to get bigger.
Playing wasn’t enough.
“I want to build the perfect equipment.”
“With my own hands.”
So the challenge evolved.
From playing to creating.
In 1950, Butterfly was born. Driven by obsession. Built through relentless innovation.
Listening to players. Building for players.
Pushing table tennis equipment further than it had ever gone before.
In 1954, that next-level passion met the World Championships.
Butterfly started doing something different. Listening. Talking to the players.
Understanding what they needed.
That became our tradition.
Listen to the best. Build for the best. And keep evolving. Butterfly equipment went on to support some of the greatest players the sport has ever seen.
The World Championships aren’t just history.
They’re the future.
As Butterfly President, Osawa says: “When a city hosts the World Championships, it carries a dream—to spread table tennis in that host city.”
The ITTF also believes that: “Butterfly is a partner in growing the sport together.”
However, the work doesn’t stop at the Championships. For decades, it has been developing players where table tennis is still emerging. And growing the global community around the sport.
And it’s only getting started.
One table. One player. One obsession.
That passion connected with the world. And now it moves toward London 2026. The place where the first World Championships began 100 years ago. Standing here, we remind ourselves why we exist.
Butterfly.
Working like a butterfly,
so the player—the flower—can bloom.
For that one play.
The one that makes the crowd rise.
The one that makes someone fall in love with table tennis.
That’s why we’re still here.
Open the World BUTTERFLY
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