Eight bright blue pingpong tables lit with neon lights stood in the center of the Peking University Gymnasium as some of the world’s best table tennis players picked up their paddles from places as varied as Nigeria, Sweden, the Dominican Republic and the United States.

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Chinese table tennis players Zhang Yining and Guo Yue practice at the Peking University gymnasium on Monday.

In homage to what is considered China’s national sport, competition got under way in the first venue specifically built for world-class table tennis.

While Olympic organizers say the venue was built with all the peculiarities of pingpong in mind – a space free of wind and noise disturbances – none of the players at the seven other tables seemed to mind the chants of "Go Team China!" on Wednesday morning.

It’s no surprise that while many of the crowds watching events during the first week of the Olympic Games have been sparse, seats were packed for the first day of pingpong competition, four days before a medal match. Pingpong is wildly popular in China and is played by young and old at parks, schools and even in offices across the country.

China’s national sport
"It’s the national sport, even old ladies play!" Li Chang Jiang, 56, said Tuesday during a break from a friendly game at one of Chaoyang Park’s more than 20 pingpong tables.

The retiree was modest about his skills, but his traditionally Chinese penhold grip style of play betrayed years of practice. He said he’d actually gone to a school specifically for pingpong instruction for two years as a youngster back in the 1960s and still plays for about an hour every day.

Li said he believes that part of the reason why the sport is so ingrained in Chinese culture is because during the hard times of the 1960s when people were extremely poor and struggling to eat, pingpong was one of the few sports anyone could afford to play.

The enthusiasm for the sport helped lead to a memorable episode in recent U.S.-China relations, when "pingpong diplomacy" in the 1970s – the exchange of table tennis players from China and the United States – led to a warming of relations between the two countries and helped pave the way for President Nixon's historic visit to Beijing in 1972.

But the game has stood the test of time and is still extremely popular among young people, as well as retirees. Qi Xiangjun, 30, said he plays pick-up games two or three times a week and that his favorite thing about the sport is the speed. "The ball comes and goes very fast, so it’s exciting," said Qi. He said he likes the challenge of playing new players – especially if they are good because they can help him improve his game.

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Li Chang Jiang, 56, reaches for a shot during a pingpong match in Chaoyang Park, Beijing, on Tuesday.

Qi said he also likes the camaraderie of the game.

"You know, this is a very good place make friends," said Qi about the pingpong scene in the park. "I meet many people here and we play together, sometimes if we play very well together, we become friends and have drinks outside."

Another frequent player at the Chaoyang Park tables, Mr. Wong, stopped to chat in the park Tuesday afternoon as he made his way to the Beach Volleyball venue.

A recently-retired history professor, the spry 70-year-old said he plays pingpong for about an hour every evening. Wong said one of the things he loves about the game is the back and forth with different partners and that "it’s a community sport."

Both Wong and Li were praised playing pingpong for its health benefits – particularly as they age. Wong said that he thinks playing has helped him prevent Alzheimer’s disease because it helps him practice his reflexes and keeps his eyes – and mind – sharp.

All of the Chaoyang Park players said they were looking forward to watching the Olympic competition – but in the comfort of their own homes on TV because the tickets were hard to come by and expensive.

SLIDE SHOW: Pingpong is more than a sport in China -- it's a part of daily life.

With the faintest whisper of wind making a difference in high-level competition, air conditioning is a major concern in the indoor sport. The Chinese hosts took that into account and created an air conditioning system that releases air no faster than 0.2 meters per second. But organizers say they also kept the air temperature of spectators in mind and built air vents into the seats, diminishing the need for air conditioning.

Petra Cahill / msnbc.com

Ventilated spectator seats help diminish wind from air conditioning as a factor in table tennis at the Peking University Gymnasium.

And in an architectural tip of the hat, the roof of the venue has a dome shape – dubbed "China Ridge" – that looks like a pingpong ball is popping out of it.

Whether or not the gymnasium nestled in the heart of one of China’s most prestigious schools will go down in the annals of architectural feats from the Beijing games, the spectators on Wednesday morning seemed just excited to root their home team on.

"I feel very lucky to be here," said Yang Tian, a 21-year-old student watching the game with her boyfriend. "Wang Nan and Zhang Yining are the very best and we are very proud of them," said Yang, referring to two of China’s top female players.

After sweeping the morning matches against Croatia in 15 minutes and 3 straight sets in the first singles match, 29 minutes in the second singles match and 13 minutes in the doubles match, China’s women’s team did the hometown crowd proud.

Gu Hong Tang, 33, was grinning for a picture with his 2-year-old son Gu Yi Qi outside the pingpong stadium after the women swept their morning matches. "He’s too small to know it, but I wanted to bring him because this is China’s big event," said Gu. "I want to be able to tell him when he’s older that he was here."

NBC News Translator Titi Yu assisted with this report.