It was one of the most significant developments of the post-war era, China finally abandoned its close relationship with the Soviet Union to begin negotiating with the USA.

Amazingly for this time, the American table tennis team played the Chinese team in front of 18,000 fans in Beijing with the whole world watching.

It was the beginning of a thaw in US and Chinese relations that forced the Soviets into a crippling arms race that acted as a catalyst that would eventually lead the Cold War to an end.

This is a clear example of how sport really can change the course of history.

Nicholas Griffin, author of ‘Ping-Pong Diplomacy: The Secret History Behind the Game That Changed the World’ joined Sean Moncrieff on the show.

The book reveals the background to the people who made the famous occasion in 1971 happen. 

It also details the historical event when the USA's Glenn Cowan a 19-year-old hippie befriended China's world champion Zhuang Zedong who was imprisoned during the Cultural Revolution.