Pause, repeat after me: Prior to 2011, "Ping Pong" and "Table Tennis" were interchangeable terms. Some recreational players prefer "ping-pong" or "basement table tennis." Ping-pong is a hobby for amateur players. However, serious players refer to it just as table tennis and see it as a sport. Since then, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has been trying to distinguish ping pong from table tennis. In February 2011, they issued a statement saying that "Ping Pong is not a recognized sport at international level and thus can't be considered as a counterpart of Table Tennis." This means that you can't compete in tournaments under the banner of ping pong because there is no governing body for this activity. However, most countries will allow their table tennis players to participate in playdays or match races with ping pong players if they want to. In conclusion, yes you can call ping pong table tennis. But first, you need to find out if your country allows it and if so, then you should try it out!