New York, NY, United States (AHN) – Actress Susan Sarandon has donated $75,000 to the New York public school system to support the improvement of children’s table tennis. Sarandon, who co-owns ping-pong franchises SPIN, presented the NYC Department of Education on Wednesday with the sizable check. The funds will be used to pay for proper equipment and coaching.

The “Dead Man Walking” star and New York native, has long believed in and touted the benefits of ping-pong. Sarandon is convinced the sport relieves stress, is a great form exercise, and helps children learn to focus.

Ping-pong started as a social hobby in England in the late 1800s by army officers who used rounded wine corks for balls and old cigar boxes as handles. It lingered as a popular party game for the rich until it officially became a competitive sport in 1927.

Ping-pong became an official Olympic event in 1988 at the Summer Games in Seoul.

Table tennis is recognized as the most popular racket sport in the world, and is ranked second in terms of participation. Over 10 million players compete in sanctioned ping-pong tournaments every year.

The world’s top tennis players can smash the ball at speed of more than 100 miles per hour.

Jackie Bellinger and Lisa Lomas set a world record in 1993 by hitting 173 balls back and forth in 60 seconds.

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