WITH a combined age of 703 years, the elderly competitors of Ping Pong are nothing if not ferocious athletes, possessed of a roaring desire for life and victory.

According to a press release, DOXA Documentary Film Festival's Motion Pictures Film Series and Kay Meek Centre are presenting the Vancouver premiere of the "hilarious and heartbreaking film" by Hugh and Anson Hartford Tuesday, Feb. 12 at 7: 30 p.m. at Kay Meek Centre.

Ping Pong focuses on the 80+ table tennis championships held in Mongolia, which attracts players from around the globe. The competition is no joke, it's fight to the finish

The film follows eight men and women, including: Les, 89, a seven-time champion who credits his weight lifting regimen with keeping him in the game; Terry, 81, who was given less than a week to live and rises from his deathbed to wield a mean paddle; and Inga, 89, who battles dementia with the same determination that she uses to take down her opponents.

Mortality may haunt the edges of their stories, but this is ultimately a film about life, its struggles and triumphs. As the participants talk about their lives and their sport, Ping Pong treats its subjects with warmth, respect, and occasionally wicked glee. The human spirit, bumptious, bittersweet and playful in the best sense of the word is well in evidence in this "delightful" film, according to presenters.

Admission: $12. Info: kaymeekcentre.com or doxafestival.ca.