# Glenn Cowan **Domain:** Sports diplomacy **Doc Type:** Developed Wiki Node **Maturity:** Developed **Collection:** [[collections/Gamification|Gamification Collection]] ## Definition **Glenn Cowan** was an American table-tennis player whose encounter with Chinese player Zhuang Zedong at the 1971 World Championships became a public catalyst in ping-pong diplomacy. ## Significance The personal encounter was an opening and symbol within a larger diplomatic process, not its sole cause. ## Sources - [[articles/gamification/Lex Sportiva and Winning Without Bloodshed|Lex Sportiva and Winning Without Bloodshed]] - [Primary or institutional source](https://diplomacy.state.gov/ping-pong-diplomacy-historic-1971-u-s-table-tennis-trip-to-china/) ## Routes [[wiki/Zhuang Zedong|Zhuang Zedong]] · [[wiki/Ping-Pong Diplomacy|Ping-Pong Diplomacy]] · [[wiki/National Committee on US-China Relations|National Committee on US-China Relations]] · [[articles/gamification/Lex Sportiva and Winning Without Bloodshed|Lex Sportiva and Winning Without Bloodshed]]