ROME, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- The first-ever Roman Cup, a non-professional Sino-Italian Table Tennis Intercity Invitational Competition, was held in Rome on Nov. 25, attracting eight teams from the Italian cities of Rome, Milan, Prato, Udine, and Spain's Barcelona.

The competition, which was organized by the General Association of Overseas Chinese in Rome, is a big gathering of the table tennis amateur enthusiasts, mainly from Italy and China.

Counselor Wu Dongmei of the Chinese Embassy in Italy addressed the opening ceremony of the competition that table tennis is not only a national sport of China, but also deeply loved by the Italian people. Looking back at the history of the "Ping-Pong Diplomacy", she believes that on the basis of the in-depth development of Sino-Italian relations, this sport can also enhance the friendship between China and Italy.

The Roman Cup consists of individual and team competitions. Prado finally won the team title, followed by Barcelona and Milan.

The competition also attracted more than a hundred representatives from Chinese institutions, Chinese and Italian table tennis fans, international students and media.