Wearers of the Sharpman included Shigeo Itoh, Stellan Bengstsson, Hans Alser, Kjell Johansson, George Braithwaite and Pak Yung Sun. Koyo Bear was the footwear outfitter of the U.S. Table Tennis National Team during the 1969 World Table Tennis Championships in Munich. In addition, the Sharpman was worn by Glenn Cowan who was one of the key figures in an event that was triggered during the 1971 World Table Tennis Championships in Nagoya and became historically known as the “Ping-pong Diplomacy”.