The International Table Tennis Federation recently mandated that a new plastic poly ball take the place of the current celluloid balls that have been used for more than 100 years.

The date of the change has been altered a few times since the ITTF first declared their intentions, and it is currently set at July 2014.

But because of a multinational patent, there is no manufacturer ready to produce the new balls, according to a story in the Beijing-based Table Tennis magazine.