Ping-Pong Diplomacy remembered at the Nixon Library

Resek said he went back to China as a tourist around 20 years later, and at that time, China had evolved rapidly.

"Wow, so much improvement, so many things going up. I was very flabbergasted about how well the Chinese are doing," he said.

David Simon, the vice-president of the World Union of Olympic Cities, said Ping-Pong Diplomacy has played a significant role in helping China gain a voice in the world stage.

Beijing still would've hosted the 2008 Olympic Games without Ping-Pong Diplomacy, he said, but it would probably have taken longer for it to do so.

"So I believe the role of Ping-Pong Diplomacy and its long-term impact on international sports has not been fully appreciated, and nor has that of President Nixon in helping to bring it about," he said.

The "ping heard around the world" took place during the World Table Tennis Championships in Nagoya, Japan, when 19-year-old US player Glenn Cowan missed his team bus and hopped on a bus carrying the Chinese team.