MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Milwaukee officials are celebrating the U.S. Table Tennis Open being in town by placing eight free ping pong tables around the city.

The city's tourism promoter, VISIT Milwaukee, says they teamed up with the Chicago-based manufacturer of ping pong tables, Killerspin, to place eight tables around town.

The locations include General Mitchell International Airport, Harley-Davidson Museum, Milwaukee Art Museum, InterContinental Milwaukee Hotel, Mitchell Park Conservatory, Chase Bank Plaza, Horny Goat Hideaway and Lakefront Brewery.

The U.S. Table Tennis Open runs through Monday in Milwaukee.

The tables are up already and will remain so until Sept. 11 with the exception of the one at Milwaukee Art Museum, which will only be up in July.

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STORY FROM 6/30/11

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- The U.S. Table Tennis Open starts Thursday in Milwaukee.

This year event organizers are celebrating the 40th anniversary of Ping Pong Diplomacy, a week of table tennis exhibition games in China in April 1971 that helped open China to the world.

U.S. Open officials are holding a private anniversary event Friday at the Milwaukee Art Museum featuring matches between some American and Chinese players from 1971 event. There's a similar event for the public Sunday at the main venue, the Frontier Airlines Convention Center.

The annual tournament features more than 100 tables with more than 700 players from at least 26 countries. It runs through Monday.

The Para Open for physically challenged players will be Friday through Sunday.

Both events are open to the public.