The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has become the second ever International Federation to reach one million Sina Weibo (http://www.weibo.com/ITTFWorld) followers in China.

The ITTF, who has been active on the platform for the past three years, reached the historic figure during the Lunar New Year on the back of a highly successful Rio 2016 Olympic Games where table tennis boomed in China.

ITTF Promotion & Media Manager Matt POUND stated: "Over the past three years, we have invested a lot into our Chinese social media promotion. Table tennis is the national sport in China with a huge fan base, it was important for the ITTF to maximize and service these fans to further develop and promote our products within China. We are satisfied to reach this important milestone, but we are determined to keep aggressively building our social media presence in China and the rest of the world."

The one million Sina Weibo followers raises ITTF's global social media following to 1.77 million which is the third highest of any Olympic International Federation, which shows the global popularity of table tennis.

In addition to ITTF's one million followers on Sina Weibo, the world's best table tennis players also have a phenomenal following on the Chinese platform. As of today, a combined 27 million people follow our table tennis stars, with double world champion and London 2012 champion ZHANG Jike topping the charts with a staggering eight million followers alone.

The 28-year-old's popularity has transcended table tennis, with the superstar now appearing on covers of fashion magazines and was recently awarded the most popular personality on Sina Weibo in the whole of China, not just in sports!

The ITTF will continue its social media push inside and outside China to increase its numbers to new heights.

Check out ITTF's Sina Weibo page: http://www.weibo.com/ITTFWorld.