The last time athletics brought China closer to the rest of the world, a ping pong teenager from Oregon was on center stage.

It was 1971.

A 15-year-old from Eugene -at the top of her ping pong game- found herself in the thick of diplomatic history.

“They invited us to go to China so it was a big surprise,” said Judy Hoarfrost, now living in Portland. “And two days later we were in China.”

The rest of the world was just as surprised.

After all, in 1971 it had been two decades since an American was allowed inside that once-feared, mysterious country.

Hoarfrost says the attention she got was “over-the-top” and overwhelming.

“They were all interested in my opinion. I was just a kid.”

While she was in China with the her team members, she didn’t know she had become a one-name celebrity at home.

“You know, 'Judy's parents okay China trip,” she said, reading from one of numerous newspaper headlines.

She has copies of all the photographs and news clipping taped inside an oversized portfolio.

Hoarfrost and the team appeared in nearly every national magazine and TV show, walking along the Great Wall, touring through large squares in then-Peking.

Even President Nixon took notice, recognizing a new diplomatic opening with China.

In the infamous Nixon tapes, he’s heard referring to the situation:

“We want everything we can out of this, that we not appear to exploit it.”

The series of events -culminating in Nixon's historic visit to China- was dubbed “Ping Pong Diplomacy.”

In 2008, trades blistering forehands with her son Ryan in the family basement in Southwest Portland.

She sees China reconnecting with the world again through athletics.

“That's what Ping Pong Diplomacy was about was re-entering the world after a period of isolation.”

She sees an opportunity for China to take yet another step forward in global cooperation.

“To work on pollution, human rights issues; to work on economic issues health care issues,” she explains. “I mean, we're all part of the same planet.”

A planet at least occasionally united by sports and goodwill.

“The Chinese had a saying: friendship first, competition second.”

Despite that saying, China still dominates the sport of table tennis.

In fact, it would be a big surprise if the team didn't capture most medals at the 2008 Olympic Games.