Ping Pong

Pensioners from across the world meet in Inner Mongolia to compete in the over-80s table tennis championships. Eight octogenarian players with 703 years between them take us through the world of veteran sports. Terry, 81, has been given a week to live but remains determined to beat the odds and has his sights firmly set on winning gold. Cancer survivor Les, 89, a 12-time champion, prepares to face his arch-rival, Rune, 85, with whom he’s been competing for 35 years. Inga, 89, has used table tennis as a means to fight her way out of the dementia ward she committed herself to. Sun Lao, 84, insists that beer and cigarettes are key to mastering the game. The portrait of these determined characters from all over the world takes us from their lives back home, with training schedules that rival athletes a quarter of their age, to the fiercely competitive arena and what is possibly their last chance for glory. A true story of the power of the human spirit, Ping Pong offers funny, moving and inspiring stories of battling it out on the table. – Charlotte Cook, Hot Docs