Athletes who personally witnessed the ping-pong diplomacy decades ago celebrates the 45 anniversary of Chinese team's first visit to the United States in 1972. [Photo/Xinhua]

Forty-five years ago, a group of world ping-pong champions from China paid a return visit to the United States, following the US team's historic visit to China in 1971.

Normalization of relations between the two rival nations during the Cold War was gradually realized thanks to ping-pong, an unlikely diplomatic tool.

In the past five days, athletes who personally witnessed the ping-pong diplomacy decades ago, reunited in the US to celebrated the 45 anniversary of Chinese team's first visit to the United States in 1972.

"I'm very excited to have a chance to be here again and meet my old friends," said 67-year-old ping-pong veteran Liang Geliang.

He and Zheng Huaiying, former woman world champion, played an exhibition match recently in the University of Michigan with Dell and Connie Sweeris, who visited China several times since their icebreaking tour in 1971.

The couple's last visit to China was in 2011, when they were invited to take part in the celebration of the 40th anniversary of ping-pong diplomacy.